


Closest to Heaven That I'll Ever Be

by MissTano66



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Albinism, Boats and Ships, Character Death, Cutesy, Dead People, Declarations Of Love, F/F, Food Porn, Graphic Description, I am sipping dumbfukk juice, Infection, Injury Recovery, Lovers To Enemies, No Beta, Nursing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protectiveness, Recovery, Secrets, Sheep & Goats, Spoilers, Strong Female Characters, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Trans Male Character, Travel, Useless Lesbians, Violence, We Die Like Men, dumb bitches, every chapter is a song, farming, i know nothing of science or medicine, original character death, who needs sleep?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:21:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25880488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissTano66/pseuds/MissTano66
Summary: When Abby's boat washes up on the shores of San Nicolas, she is found by a farmer living on the outskirts of the island to avoid the threat within the fences of the little paradise. Half dead and very weak, Abby must learn to let somebody take care of her this time around and find a new way through this chapter of her life without using brute force. And on top of all this, her mysterious savior has many secrets that Abby just cannot figure out. Was she a Firefly? Is that how she knows so much about them? Where does she come from? And why is Abby strangely attracted to her?
Relationships: Abby & Lev (The Last of Us), Abby & Manny (The Last of Us), Abby & Nora (The Last of Us), Abby (The Last of Us)/Original Female Character(s), Abby/Owen (mentioned), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us), Joel & Tommy (The Last of Us)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 86





	1. Illusions of the Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> So when I started playing this game, I despised Abby. But the longer the game went on, I realized that the hate wasn't really justified, I only really missed Joel. Kind of like Ellie, to be honest. Let me just say this before you start reading... I do not portray anybody as a flawless hero here. They are not perfect. Joel was not a good person. He did bad things. Ellie is not a good person. Neither is Abby. The closest to perfect people we will ever get is Yara and Lev. So if you have an issue with Abby, and writing this in a way that frames Joel in a very negative light, this is not the one for you. No hate, kay? 
> 
> Also, Spoilers. SPOILERS ABOUND!!!!

The day started out like any other day: Wake up before dawn, check the perimeter of her home, tend to the crops, harvest what she could, fish, create supplies she would need for the rest of the week, maybe play the harmonica if she found the time, tend for her animals, take a walk, return home, eat, lock up the animals, sit on her porch all night and watch the sun go down. 

This had become her routine every single day… But today was different. 

When she had awoken, the sky was dark and desolate, a storm approaching from the states onto San Nicolas. The rain didn’t bother her, it meant she didn’t have to walk to the watering hole in order to get fresh water for her plants. So she took it with a grain of salt as she moved down to the beach looking for crabs that loved scuttling on the surface during a shower.

What she was not expecting was a beached speedboat. The front had dug into the sand so deep that even the tide couldn’t pull it away. The propellers of the engine seemed to click, almost like the motor was still trying to rev to life. At first, she didn’t think anything of it. A lost boat, those are common on shore. But when she saw a foot hanging over the side of it, she knew something was happening.

Very cautiously, the woman approached the boat with her hand on the grip of her pistol and peered inside. It was a woman… Her hair was reminiscent of a sea urchin, spiky and choppy like it was done with a knife. Her body was littered with cuts and around her neck were very obvious bruising.. In the shape of hands. The cuts were deep, and there was blood soaking into her black dirty tank top. She looked starved, dehydrated, and weak. Next to the woman, was a little boy.

There were scars on the side of his face that seemed extremely old, so not recent. He matched the undernourishment and his hair resembled hers. Bruises and scars all over what she could see beyond his black t-shirt. Oh, how they both looked awful…

Very slowly, she removed her hand from the handle of the gun and stepped forward. She reached down and pressed two of her fingertips against the little boy’s neck. It was faint, but he had a pulse. Then she went to do the same to the woman. Her hand shook a little as she went to the female and pressed down firmly into her neck. 

_ Thump… thump...thump… _ She was not doing good. At all.

As she pulled her hand away, fear struck her face as she noticed the woman’s eyes opened wide and she made a sudden jerk forward, grabbing her wrist and baring her teeth. It was then that she noticed the woman was… absolutely jacked. Her arms looked like weapons all on their own. Her fingers curled into the woman’s dirty black tank top as she got inches from her face.

“Easy… Easy… It’s okay.. You’re safe…”

The woman struggled, swayed, and her eyes fell to the little boy before collapsing once again into the boat with a loud thud. Fear throbbed in her skull as she saw that this was bad. Awful, even. If action wasn’t taken soon, they were gonna die!

In her wisdom, she raced back to her home and immediately began saddling up her horse and she attached the wheeled cart behind the stallion. She snapped the reins and they both raced down to the beach where the boat was and she leaped off the saddle the second they were in sight.

“Come on, Diablo! Hurry!” The black Shire stallion trotted over and whinnied quite loudly, but the unconscious visitors didn’t even move. It was a struggle to get the woman onto the cart, but it was doable. The little boy, however, weighed almost nothing. About as much as a bail of hay. 

Once they were both on the cart, she urged Diablo back home and into the barn just as the rain began coming down and wetting the dirt, turning it into mud. She lit lanterns, as many as possible, and began making makeshift beds out of hay and blankets away from Diablo’s stall and from the sheep and two goats. 

The beds weren’t perfect, but it was the best that she could do. Once they were settled in, she began the very rigorous process of stripping them both out of the soiled, wet clothes that were covered in dirt, sand, salt water, and blood. Clothes were off, discarded, and she felt extremely uncomfortable. 

At first glance, this woman looked like she had been through absolute hell. Cuts, bruises, and scars riddled her entire being. A lot were deep. And some even looked infected. 

So she took a breath, knelt down for a second, and spoke to herself to calm down.

“Settle in, Skylar… It’s gonna be a long day.” 


	2. When I Wake Up, I'm Afraid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby wakes up and meets her mysterious hero.

Everything hurt. Oh, how everything hurt. But… It wasn’t as bad as before. She didn’t feel hungry. Or thirsty. Wait, was she dead? Did they ever make it off the island? Where did they end up? They--  _ Where is Lev?! _

Abby shot up with so much force, her back popped and it made her groan in absolute agony. Her muscles screamed, everything was shouting at her to lay back down, but her instincts to protect Lev were too strong for her to ignore. Her eyes frantically struggled to focus in the darkness but when they did, she noticed she was in a barn. And right next to her, was the boy in question. Lev was there, and he was alive. 

He was clothed in something she’s never seen before. It was a t-shirt with pixel looking hearts on the chest and it was black and purple. He was also in dark blue jeans that looked about a size too big, but was barefoot. Abby’s nose twitched slightly when she smelt the faint aroma of peppermint and she knew that the strange salve that was all over Lev was made from peppermint. 

It was then that Abby took notice of herself; she remembers being dirty, bloody, and in clothes that barely fit her when she escaped Santa Barbara… But now, she was wearing a simple blue stained tank top and soft sweatpants that… almost looked homemade. The cuts from Ellie, from her switchblade, that were deep and burning now just felt a dull ache and all of them were stitched up. Bandages covered almost every inch of her body. 

Abby breathed slowly and looked around. The barn was pretty spacious and from where she was sitting, she saw several sheep and two goats, one male and one female. And in the farthest part of the barn was a very large black horse that seemed to be looking directly at her. In the distance, she could hear faint squeaking which she could only assume were mice. 

What time of day was it? Was it morning? Night? Who found them? Why did they take care of them? 

Abby remembers Ellie, sitting in the ocean cradling the nubs of her missing fingers and wailing as she demanded Abby to leave. Abby didn’t hesitate at all, she immediately hopped into the boat with Lev and took off. Not even hours later, she began to lose consciousness but forced herself to stay awake for the sake of Lev. But it couldn’t last forever. 

The last thing Abby remembers was the faint trees on the horizon before she blacked out. How did she survive? 

There was a sudden noise and Abby jerked backwards as the barn door swung open and the soft sunlight filtered through. It was morning, the sun was just coming up over the horizon. Abby struggled to see what was at the door. Was it someone dangerous? Did she need to defend herself, protect Lev, what was about to happen?

What Abby was not expecting was a woman to be standing there with a large tray. The woman in question was wearing a dark green flannel shirt, black overalls, and a white undershirt with matching black boots. Her hair was a complete mess of unruly red curls that was tied back with a red bandanna. There was something… oddly familiar about her.

“W-Who--” Abby’s voice sounded so pathetic, she hated how timid and scared she sounded in the face of what couldn’t possibly be danger. Unless what was on the tray just happened to be torture devices… 

“Oh! You’re awake!” Her voice. Abby couldn’t help but feel soothed by her voice; it was soft, warm, and held a thick western accent at the same time. There was a spring in the woman’s step as she walked over to Abby who started scooting over to Lev, reaching for him to protect him if something were to go wrong. 

Abby didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this. The woman knelt down next to Abby and on the tray was two bowls of soup and plenty of water, along with clean bandages and alcohol. In a wooden bowl was the white substance that was smeared all over their skin, so she could only assume it was the salve she used on them. 

“You’ve had me worried these last few days, I was afraid you’d never be fully conscious…” The woman carried on like nothing was a problem as she began to reach out for Abby’s arm, which she immediately pulled away.

“Come on, I need to change your bandages and you need to eat--” 

“Who are you?” Abby mustered as much strength as she could in her words. It wasn’t a lot, but it held some sternness that she used to have before…

The redhead smiled warmly, letting Abby see the little gap between her front teeth as she reached for her arm once again, and this time, Abby allowed her to take it. She snipped the bandages off her arms and began to clean the stitched cuts, which made Abby flinch and hiss in pain. 

“My name is Skylar… I found you and him on the beach a week ago…” She spoke nervously as she gestured to Lev with her scissors as she cared for every stitched wound on her biceps and forearms. Abby noticed how her fingers twitched slightly when she felt her muscles flex. 

“You… you’ve been taking care of us?” 

“I couldn’t just let you two die, could I?” Skylar spoke like it was obvious, a warm giggle bubbling from her throat as she reached up and began rubbing the salve along her neck where she felt a phantom pain where Ellie almost took her life. Abby squashed it down. 

Abby didn’t say much more. Skylar finished taking care of her, gently dabbing a cool cloth against her forehead before walking over to Lev, which made Abby nearly tremble with a protective instinct that she never really knew she possessed until she met Lev and Yara way back in Seattle. 

But it seemed that she was scared for no reason. Skylar slowly lifted up the hem of Lev’s shirt and wiped off the old salve and began rubbing a new layer over the bruises on his abdomen. And after that, she lifted him up in her lap and reached for the water in the canister and rubbed at his jaw softly. 

Slowly, it went lax and she gently tipped the canister so a little of the water could slip passed his cracked lips and she gently stroked his neck to ease it down. Abby has never seen someone take care of somebody so… gently.

Skylar smiled as she felt him begin to stir in her lap and Abby saw his eyes fluttered open. It filled her with hope that he was going to be okay. 

“Hey there… I know you’re tired… it’s gonna be okay…” Skylar cooed comfortingly and Lev made a soft noise before whispering something. 

“Abby…” Her heart soared as she scooted over to Lev and reached out for his hand that was twitching slightly. 

“Lev… I’m here. I’m right here.” The little boy turned slightly and looked at Abby and for the first time in a week, Skylar saw them both smile. It was then that Skylar knew that she needed to relinquish her hold on the boy and hand him off to Abby who accepted him without hesitation into her arms. 

Skylar rested the water bottle against Abby’s leg and smiled warmly as it was a sweet sight to see them both finally awake, conscious, and moving around on their own. Turns out, that’s what Lev needed to awaken… Abby. 

“You both should eat… I’ll check back soon. Watch over them, Diablo.” Skylar gently patted the horse who snorted in response to the owner’s command as Skylar opened the barn door and closed it behind her. 

Abby was trying so hard to stay calm right now, but it was very hard. All she could do was panic and rock Lev back and forth in her arms like he had just risen from the dead. The boy in question was breathing small little prayers to his prophet and holding onto the muscular woman with what little strength he could muster. 

“Abby… We’re okay?” 

“Yeah… Yeah, we’re okay Lev, we’re alive.” The relief in Abby’s voice was evident that for the first time in a long time, she truly believed they were safe. I mean, Skylar would not have gone to all of that trouble of stitching their wounds, feeding them, hydrating them, and cleaning them just to kill them, right? That seemed ridiculous. 

Lev smacked his lips together as he tried to sit himself up off of Abby’s chest and try to meet her soft gaze as he let out a happy sigh of relief. 

“S...She’s been helping us.. Right?” 

“Yeah, Lev. She saved us.” 

It was somewhat surreal; what were the chances of Abby and Lev washing up on the shores of a random island and being saved by a random woman who lived nearby and not got picked off by psycho people, or worse, infected! Maybe their luck was just starting to turn…

For the next hour, Abby took on the role that Skylar held for the last few days. She began helping Lev eat the soup that Skylar had brought them and she had to admit, it was really good. Abby was never fond of soup before, but now it tasted like the most amazing thing she’s ever had in her entire life.

It was potato soup with chopped onions and carrots. It seemed to actually be seasoned, unlike those awful burritos she used to eat at the WLF base in Seattle. This Skylar made delicious soup. 

Abby made sure Lev ate all of his before she even started on hers as the boy laid back down on the bed made of hay and blankets. He looked up at Abby with a small smile as she slurped from the bowl and looked down at him while the spoon was half out of her mouth. 

“What?” Abby wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while Lev dramatically rolled his eyes.

“Nothing. I’m just… happy that we’re okay.” 

Abby was too. It was very nice to finally be able to relax and eat decent food after years of running around like clueless cattle in the pastures of Seattle and then Santa Barbara. After years of nothing but fighting, Abby could finally breathe… Everything was okay.

The creak of the barn door made her jump a little but then she saw the familiar redhead step inside carrying two buckets in her hands. Skylar took care of the animals first. She poured something into the sack against the large horse’s stall and the stallion stuck his muzzle into the sack and began crunching loudly. Then she moved over to the sheep pen and began pouring something into a long trough along the wall. It was a mixture of various veggies and plants that the animals began eating immediately. The sheep and two goats ran over and Skylar smiled before pushing the gate open and walking over to the two who still lay on the floor.

“How do you feel?” 

Abby thought about it for a second… “Better.” 

Skylar would accept that answer. The redhead slowly reached down and collected the empty bowls before looking up at Abby who seemed more focused on Lev than her. It was sort of endearing to see how much she cared.

“What were you two doing out in the ocean?” 

Abby choked a little as she looked down and suddenly became very fascinated in her hands. Was she supposed to tell the truth? The last time she did, she almost got herself and Lev killed.

Skylar waited for an answer, her fingers gently sliding over Abby’s leg where she put many stitches into her thigh. Abby looked down as she felt the gentle touch of her against her inner thigh, her fingers trembling as she resisted the urge to push Skylar away. The more she relaxed, the more she realized that the gentle caress of this stranger against her limb, it wasn’t so bad.

Skylar’s fingers traced over several nerves that were still tender, feeling every stitch against her fingertips. She eased Abby’s legs open and her thumbs stroked across the weakened flesh near her pelvis, searching for any problems under the soft sweatpants she put Abby in yesterday. Skylar flinched a little when she felt Abby reach down and grab her wrist, a moan of discomfort leaving her lips as she bit down on her bottom lip.

“Nghh… W… we were running from the Rattlers in S-Santa Barbara,” Abby spoke through clenched teeth as Skylar pushed her curly bangs out of her face. “By the… the time we got off the island, he was barely alive…” 

“Nobody goes to Santa Barbara and leaves alive,” Skylar spoke softly, her face showing a solemness as she gently rubbed over the sore muscles in Abby’s leg. Whatever she was doing, it was working wonders. “I’m impressed you got away.” 

Abby slowly began to relax against Skylar’s gentle touch and her muscles softened under the younger woman’s caress. The sunlight began to filter through the barn’s roof through a small hatch and it was then that Abby noticed that she was almost covered head to toe in freckles. There was a large scar from her nose, across her lip, and down to her chin. It looked like it was made with a rusty knife blade. 

There was a soft glow on her skin that seemed to be from either a sheen of sweat or maybe it was because of her tan. Her body wasn’t extremely muscular, minus her legs which seemed to ripple with raw power. Even through her jeans, Abby noticed how her body didn’t falter as she stood on her feet with her knees bent. Even when she was crouching down and hiding from people, Abby always felt her legs tingling and going numb.

“What were you doing in Santa Barbara?” 

“We were looking for fireflies.” Abby felt Skylar’s hands stop and her whole body visibly tensed up. Should she not have said that? Was she an enemy to the fireflies? Did this change anything? 

Skylar cleared her throat, almost violently, and retracted her hands, resting them on her own thighs to try and steady herself; it looked like she was about to fall over. “There aren’t any fireflies anymore.” 

Abby seemed to relax at her words but was still very much on edge. It was times like this that she wished she had her pistol again, just in case things got out of hand. But from the way Skylar was standing, it was quite a painful memory. 

“W-Were you a firefly?” 

Skylar shook her head a little, her fingers tracing against her knees. “No, I was never a firefly. I heard about them, all the time… They were responsible for the burning of the QZ back in my hometown…” 

Abby felt her breath hitch in her chest. There were definitely extremist fireflies out there when she was a kid, she has seen her fair share of dead bodies-- her father included. But for there to be a whole QZ caught on fire? Where was this quarantine zone? Where did Skylar come from? 

She didn’t get the answer, though. Skylar was back on her feet in an instant before she headed over to Diablo, her hands reaching out for the huge horse and stroking over his muzzle. He responded with a soft snort as she unhooked the door and led him out of the stall. 

“I have some work to do. You’re welcome to take a look around,” Skylar offered a very warm smile as she put a bridle on Diablo and led him to the front door that she pushed open and the light filtered in, directly shining on Abby’s face, making her squint. And just as fast as she was there, she was gone. 


	3. Like A Friend I've Always Known

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylar gives Abby a taste of what it might be to have a normal life among the apocalypse. Also goats are assholes.

When Skylar came back home, the sun began setting on the horizon. Diablo pranced into the gates and she had almost a chain of fish hanging off the saddle bag, along with strips of sea kelp and several different herbs and flowers stashed away inside the leather satchel. Her heavy boots hit the dirt and she looked over to where the barn was. The door was open.

A panic rose inside of her chest and she jogged over to it to peer inside. Lev was sleeping on what looked like his and Abby’s bed. But the woman in question was nowhere to be found. Skylar was about to start panicking when she heard a clatter noise, followed by a loud sound from a distressed goat. 

Skylar rounded the corner and saw Abby knelt down in the fenced off area with all the farm animals, holding her thigh and hissing in pain. 

“Abby!” Her head snapped up immediately. “Are you okay?” 

Skylar watched her react almost as if she had just gotten caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. Without even thinking, she hopped the fence to check on the injured female who was groaning in agony. And she knew exactly why. 

It was obvious when her goat, Sammy, scraped his hooves in the dirt and reared up towards Abby again. Skylar saw it coming and grabbed one of his horns, pushing him back and growling, standing in front of Abby to protect her. 

“Hey! Where’s your brain, asshole? Stay away from her!” The goat responded with an angry noise and trotted away. Skylar whirled around to Abby who was still clutching her knee. She knelt down and rested her hand on the woman’s shoulder. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah… I’m fine, just sore.” There wasn’t a wound, but Skylar is betting that he left another bruise on her. A little sigh left Skylar’s throat as she helped Abby up to her feet, gently wrapping her arm around her neck. “I said I was fine…”

“You’ve been through a lot, Abby. Let me take care of you,” The softness in her voice was something Skylar didn’t want Abby to pick up on. Yes, this woman was most likely the most attractive woman she has ever met, but that doesn’t mean that this woman gets to know that!

Abby rolled her eyes a little but was clearly uncomfortable with somebody else taking care of her. Skylar had so many questions… Where is Abby from? What did she do? Why was she looking for the fireflies? All these questions are things that she most likely should not be asking yet, she barely knows her.

“What were you doing out here?” 

Skylar saw Abby blush as she led her, not to the barn, but to her front porch. “I’ve uh… Never really seen goats before.” 

The redhead couldn’t keep a giggle from rumbling through her throat as she sat the injured female down on the steps and reached for the pant leg, gently rolling it up over her thigh and seeing the mild bruise on her kneecap. 

“Well, next time wait until I’m around, yeah? Sammy is… an asshole. But the girl, June, she’s a lot nicer.” 

“I-I’ll take your word for it.” Abby seemed more than hesitant to believe her, which she can understand. 

Skylar gently rolled her pant leg back down and sat on the step next to her, offering a warm smile as her skin glistened in the sunlight. From where Abby sat, she could see that her freckles were becoming darker in the sun and there was a tan on her skin that was dark enough that she looked like an overdone piece of meat over a fire. 

As she looked out over the horizon, Abby couldn’t help but admire her. Her curls were unruly and wild, but looked beautiful on her nonetheless. Her skin showed signs of wear but they all were beneficial factors; like her freckles and little scars. On her lip, there was a very obvious scar where it seemed like it was a knife wound. Her whole entire body was covered in scars and some bruising. But what she noticed more than anything was her hands. 

Skylar used to care about the state of her hands but now, she didn’t care in the slightest. Dirt was under her fingernails, her knuckles were cracked, bruised and scarred, the veins in her wrist and the top of her hands bulged out. They were rough, crackled, and looked like they could snap anything if she put her mind to it. 

Abby didn’t realize how long she was staring until Skylar snapped her fingers in front of her face. 

“Hey, you still with me?” 

“Y-Yeah, with you. Hundred percent.” Skylar snorted. 

“Oh, so what did I say?” Abby blinked and then pressed her hand to her face to hide her blush again.

“Uh.. I uhm--”

“I said, if you want, can you help me make dinner?” 

Abby almost choked on her tongue as Skylar stood herself up for a second and brushed her hands over her pants and stepped backwards towards Diablo who whinnied and began prancing over to her. There was a little mischievous grin on her face as she waited for Abby to either accept or decline her offer. 

Well, how could she say no? “Sure. But, I’m not the best cook.”

Skylar made a dismissive noise as she untied the fish and the sea kelp from the side of the saddle, walking over to the firepit and knelt down on one knee. She pulled up the left leg of her overalls, slipping a dagger out of its confinement and smirked at Abby who seemed to be losing her breath. 

“Don’t worry. You can just watch me this time.” Abby stood up slowly off the staircase and limped over next to Skylar who was sitting on her knees in front of a wash basin.

Abby didn’t do anything at first; she just watched Skylar and what she was doing. First thing she did was start a fire with fresh wood after clearing out the old ashes from the night before. It seemed second nature to her, starting a fire with two rocks and striking them together at the perfect angle to create a spark and light the kindling on fire. 

The way she began to clean the kelp inside of the warm water after she heated it up, getting off the salt water and sand, the way her hands were gentle on the delicate kelp but rough when she used the knife to cut open the fish, it was almost hypnotic. The veins in her hands bulged out as she twirled the dagger dramatically, looking up at Abby who watched intently as she scoured the fish and began to carefully remove the skeletons. The blade took off all the scales and smoothed out the skin of the fish. Abby was entranced. 

Skylar made preparing food look like an art form. It was erotic, wild, and impassioned, like nothing she’s ever seen before; and Abby has seen a lot!

She stared in wonder as Skylar began wrapping the fish in herbs and gently setting them over what looked to be a piece of a metal fence. The loud sizzling noise was almost heavenly, it gave Abby goosebumps. 

“You make it look so easy.” Skylar looked up just as she was sipping from the canteen of water. A small snicker left her throat as she tossed all the leaves of kelp into a frying pan over the flames and stood up, stretching out her legs a little. 

“It’s just because I’ve been doing this for years. You’d think it was easy too,” Abby watched as the redhead moved around the firepit and watched the food carefully before turning to look at the barn. Abby followed her eyes and saw the door slowly swinging open and Lev stepped out.

He looked like a whole new person.

“Lev!” Abby jumped up and quickly hobbled to the boy who was holding up his hand to shield himself from the bright sunlight. He leaned against the barn wall as Skylar watched carefully, making sure to be ready at a moment’s notice to help them both if something were to happen.

“H-Hi Abby,” Lev croaked a little as he looked around at the little farm and towards Skylar who stayed knelt down in front of the fire, gently poking at the wooden blaze and trying her best not to be too observant that she looks like she doesn’t trust them. 

Abby carefully helped Lev over to the fire and gently set him down onto the chair that was on the other side. It was a wooden chair that looked like it was made by hand, but not by Skylar. The professional woodworking shop in town was raided not too long ago and she was lucky to get the furnishings she did beforehand. 

A smile crossed over Skylar’s features as she watched the fish cook and looked at Lev through the smoke of the fire. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m well. Starving, though.” 

Skylar smiled and slowly poked at one of the fish on the fencing and added several different seasons to the kelp and used her now clean knife to slice a lemon, gently laying the slices across the fish as it finished up cooking. “Hope you like fish… Have been trying to lay off hunting for a while.” 

“Why’s that?” Abby spoke as she sat down next to Skylar who let out a little sigh. 

“It’s passed the fences. I don’t go beyond the fences till nightfall, and then every animal is sleeping and hiding anyway. I don’t want to risk getting caught.” 

“Caught by who?”

Skylar swallowed. “There’s hunters out there. Call themselves the  _ ‘He kiaʻi’.  _ It’s Hawaiian for “The Guardians.” 

“What are they guarding?” 

“Honestly? I have no idea. The last time I went out that far, I was rewarded with this,” Abby let out a loud gasp when she saw Skylar push down one of the straps of her overalls and tucked them down over her waist, grabbing the hem of her shirt and lifting it up. Lev watched from the other side of the fire as Skylar showed a huge scar going from her hip bone, across her stomach and between her breasts along her sternum. It didn’t look like it was done purposely or with something like a knife… It was jagged, and there was a sloppy criss-cross pattern across the thick white line that resembled stitches. 

“I guess it was my fault? I ran into a barbed wire fence and got wrapped up in it… It goes all around my body, actually, not just here. And when they found me, they strung me up by my ankles and had every intention of… Well, if it wasn’t for the infected, I would have been a wall decoration.” 

Abby resisted the urge to reach out and touch the scar. It looked so crass against her deep tan skin covered in freckles, even on her stomach and abdomen.

“It’s so big…” Lev said from across the firepit and Skylar let out a very unladylike snort. 

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you’re not very bright…” Skylar’s specialty was self-deprecating jokes and dark humor. She could already tell that Lev was somebody who takes things a little too seriously and won’t really understand her dark humor. 

Abby, on the other hand, shrugged her shoulders and nodded in response as if to say ‘Yeah, I’ve been there before.’

Skylar took this moment to remove the fish from the heat and carefully peel back the lemon slices, placing each one on a metal plate with the kelp salad that just stewed off. She walked around the firepit and handed one plate to Lev while sitting back down and handing the second one to Abby. 

“You guys are going to need your strength. Best eat up,” Skylar spoke solemnly and sat down, focusing on her own food instead of meeting their gazes. She could feel their looks on her but Skylar thought it would probably be better if she didn’t address them.

The one thing she knew, was that they couldn’t stick around. It was too dangerous for them here. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cool Points to the person that's caught on to me using various song lyrics for every title of the chapters. This one is inspired by a Disney song, probably the best one in a long time.


	4. You Know We're Runnin' Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylar tells Lev why she's on San Nicolas and explosions are loud as fuck.

The days went on without incident. Abby was beginning to try her hand in the whole cooking process while Lev was mainly keeping to himself but helping in the barn. The most Skylar ever asked him to do was help groom Diablo. He always wanted to do more but she didn’t want him pushing himself anymore than he should because Skylar absolutely did not want to restitch his wounds while he was conscious and functioning.

Abby took it upon herself to help Skylar with the farm work. The small things like watering and gathering what’s fresh. Skylar was the one that kept up the maintenance of the gardens by pulling weeds and ripping up the dead vines in the soil along with chasing off mice. 

Every once in a while, Abby would catch Skylar humming a tune while she was brushing out Diablo or when she was watering the garden or shredding vegetables for dinner. Abby had no idea what she was singing, but it sounded nice so she didn’t complain. For days, they made small talk about their lives, their friends, even what probably lied beyond the ocean.

“So, why are you on this island actually?” Lev asked during them cleaning the stalls in the barn. For a second, Skylar faltered with her pitchfork but continued on like nothing was wrong. 

“When I was a kid, I actually grew up on the mainland… that’s what my parents called America. I actually was from Idaho during the early infection years, but when our QZ was pretty much destroyed by the fire, we fled to Washington...” Skylar carefully tossed some of the soiled hay over her shoulder and into the wheelbarrow.

“Anyway, my parents got into a pretty big problem with… Some big group after the FEDRA soldiers were pretty much wiped out. I can’t remember the name anymore but they decided to run tail to a place where they wouldn’t be found… We went to all the islands, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, Anacapa, we were… Looking for a forever home.”

Lev leaned against the shovel buried in the hay and listened to the story that he was sure was going to take a bad turn soon. 

“One day, we were ambushed by this huge horde of infected in Santa Barbara. My mom put me on Crystalline, her horse, and told me to run. To get away as far as possible… There was over 50 infected and there was no possible way for them to make it out alive of the bunker… So I was… galloping through the forest and I heard a huge ass explosion from back where I was. I assume that they shot the gas tanks and… Basically took them all down with them.” 

Her voice was breaking through the story as she told it. It wasn’t exactly a secret so she had no problem telling them what happened with her parents. It was just a stupid accident, right? 

“But the one thing I noticed, on every single infected…” Skylar leaned against the wall and let out a deep sigh as she looked up through the window to see the sun setting. “They all had dog tags… They were fireflies.” 

Lev inhaled sharply, his grip on the shovel tightening as she said that. Skylar breathed through her nose hard and wiped her arm across her forehead to catch the sweat that was dripping from her hairline. 

“Fireflies?” Skylar jumped a little, dropping the pitchfork at the sudden different voice. She looked over at the door and saw Abby standing there, holding a bucket of water which she set down on the ground next to her feet.

“Hey, Abby…” Lev rested the shovel against the wall and stepped out of the stall, walking over to the older woman with a nervous smile as he took the bucket of water and shakily brought it to the trough in Diablo’s stall that Skylar just finished cleaning out. 

Skylar pushed open the stall door and removed her leather gloves, tucking them into her back pocket and pushed her hair back behind her head, tying it back with a ponytail holder to let her shoulders dry off from the build up of sweat. Abby stood in the doorway and watched as she unfastened the straps of her overalls and rolled it down on her hips, unbuttoning her flannel and stripping it off to stand in her dark stained brown tank top. 

Lev looked up and saw that Abby was staring at Skylar who wasn’t really paying attention to the larger woman as she tied the flannel around her waist. 

Abby looked her up and down and saw how the tank top clung to her damp skin, her freckles becoming darker with her overheated cheeks glowing, and her hair becoming slightly frizzier with the humidity. From where she stood, Skylar’s hair lit up under the sun through the window in the barn and it reminded Abby of bright flames. Her arms showed the slight muscle mass that’s built up over the years of manual labor, and from her wet tank top, Abby stared at her abdomen where she saw a very well defined six pack that yes, she has seen before. But from this angle, there was something about her that was… hard to explain--

“Abby!” The woman jumped a little as she looked over to Lev who was holding the barn door open. Shit, what did she miss? “Are you coming?” 

“Y-Yeah! Sure thing.” Abby immediately left the barn, a spring in her step that one could see as her being in a good mood, but Lev knew she was just attempting to avoid anything that just happened. 

Lev looked over to Skylar who saw how fast Abby was moving and looked to Lev with a nervous smile. 

“Lev, can I ask you something?” 

He nodded slightly and looked out of the door to where Abby was walking aimlessly. No way she actually heard what he said. 

“When you first got here, Abby said something… Why were you two looking for fireflies?” 

Lev visibly flinched a little and his eyes closed for a second as he thought carefully about what he was about to say. “Abby used to be a firefly with her dad… She was looking to re-establish contact with them and find them again.” 

Skylar immediately looked up at Abby who was standing in the sunlight, the rays bouncing off her soft tan skin and rippled muscular biceps. Her hands were on her hips and she was glaring down at the dirt for some reason. “Abby was a firefly?” 

“She was sixteen at the time when her father died.” Lev looked over and saw Abby who was practically scolding herself as she walked back and forth, waiting for Lev. He sighed a little and shrugged his shoulders slightly. 

“I’ll go tell her what she missed when she spaced out.” Lev spun on his heel and headed out of the barn as Skylar headed towards her house, pushing open the screen door and heading inside. 

When Lev stood next to Abby, she was rubbing her hand down her face a little and muttering under her breath. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, good, totally fine.” 

Lev looked her over nervously and let out a sigh, knowing he was gonna have to pry it out of her, whatever was wrong. “Why were you looking at Skylar like that?” 

“Like what? I wasn’t looking at her in any way. I was just looking in her direction when I zoned out--” 

“Abby,” Lev crossed his arms over his chest. He clearly wasn’t buying anything that Abby was trying to tell him. It was always impressive to Abby that Lev could look so young, and yet so adult like at the same time. 

Abby ran her hand across her jaw and over the back of her neck again before she shook her head, her fingers running across her scalp where the hair was still trying to unevenly grow back. “C’mon, where were we going?” 

“The fields near the beach. Skylar said there’s this blue plant she needs that only grows so close to the wall.” 

“Are there infected out there?”

“Skylar says that she hasn’t seen infected in almost two years…” 

Abby let out a little huff of surprise as they started walking towards the shoreline of the beach. “Jeez… two years… Must be nice.”

“But she told me that the Guardians are almost as dangerous… She told us to stay away from the fences and stay in the distance of the shores.”

Abby nodded a little and moved through the fallen branches on the ground and rubbed her hand across the back of her head. 

“I think after Santa Barbara… We can survive anything, huh?” 

Lev hummed in approval and stepped over the toppled down trees and moved up towards the sand where his boots dug in effortlessly. Abby stumbled a little and made a soft grunt as she nearly tripped before continuing along like nothing happened.

There were so many questions Abby wanted to ask. Why were they talking about fireflies? What is Skylar planning on doing with this flower? What does Lev really think of her- since Abby trusts his judgement better than she trusts her own. 

She started at the bottom of the list with the easier questions. 

“What do you think of her?” 

“Who, Skylar?” They fell in sync next to each other as they walked along the shores of the beach. “Well… She told me she’s been alone on this island for over five years… And that the only contact with other people has been her run ins with the guardians and infected when going past the wall. Honestly, I don’t think she’s much of a threat if that’s what you’re asking…” 

Abby paused a little and rubbed her hands together slightly, feeling how rough and dry they were. “So.. You think she’s a good person?”

“You don’t need me to tell you that, Abby.” 

Ever since they had left Washington, Abby started to lean on Lev more heavily than almost any other person she traveled with over the years. She didn’t even trust Owen as much as she was trusting Lev. There was something about him that just made Abby feel safe. There was a part of her that wondered if Mel’s son would have turned out to be something like him.

Lev looked at Abby and saw that she was looking at her feet while she was walking. She did it when her mind was wandering to other places. She didn’t even notice when they reached the patch of herbs that Skylar was talking about. Lev poked her bicep a little with his finger.

“Hey, we’re here.” Lev knelt down and observed the brush to make sure there weren’t wild lizards hanging around ready to scare them like last time before he began picking the herbs and placing them in his bag. 

Abby picked a stalk of the flower and attempted to smell it as she knelt down with a look of confusion. “Doesn’t smell like anything.” 

Lev just kind of shrugged and tucked the flowers into the bag before standing up and wiping off his knees. He took notice that the flowers were almost dancing in the breeze from the waves that were so close to them. And also how close they were to the fence.

Abby wiped her hands over her thighs and looked up at the fence and noticed that in a few places, there were holes that some seemed to be clean cut with wire cutters and others were pried open with pure force or even extreme heat. And about 100 feet away, there was a worn down sign that read, in bright red, “Danger lies beyond here.”

Was that written in blood? Abby took a cautious step towards the fence and her knees shook slightly as she got very close to the fence, which is exactly what Skylar said not to do. 

“Abby, get back…” 

Lev’s warning was cut short when a large noise sounded off just barely on the other side of the fence. It was followed with an explosion that knocked them both off of their feet and into the flower patch. Lev squinted his eyes a little as the ringing in his ears was close to deafening and painful. 

The explosion was followed with the hiss of a lizard that sat just a few inches away from him which he pushed away with his boot and he slowly stood up to see Abby doing the same, pushing herself off the dirt with her arms and groaning a little as she did. 

“What the fuck was that?” 

“I don’t know--”

Lev stumbled back slightly when he heard that familiar clicking noise that gave him nightmares almost every single night. Demons were coming. 

“ _ Abby! Lev! _ ” They both looked up and saw Skylar riding on Diablo, no saddle and no reins as she came to a halt in front of them, blocking the path of the fence. Skylar hopped off and reached for what looked to be a machine gun slung over her chest by a belt. 

“What the hell was that--”

“Abby, Lev, get on Diablo and go back to the farm.” 

“What-- No! We’re not leaving you here!” 

“Abby, you are still too weak to do any good right now.” 

“I can still help you, I can fight--”

“No, you can’t!” 

Abby stepped back as Skylar pulled back on the lever and the weapon cocked with a clicking noise and she looked over her shoulder and saw that over ten clickers were running towards the fence. A whine left her throat as she immediately grabbed Abby by her wrist and dragged her over to Diablo. 

“Abby, you both won’t make it. Get on.” This time, she did what Skylar said and jumped on top of the horse with a little struggle due to there being no saddle and reached down, hoisting Lev up behind her. Before they could say anything else, Skylar reared her hand up and swatted Diablo on his rear, eliciting a loud whinny from the horse who bolted across the shorelines.

Skylar could hear Lev calling out her name as she stood at the front of the now massive hole in the fence, armed with her M240 and machete, a snarl on her face as she saw the horde of infected that she hasn’t seen in over two years… 


	5. You Make Me Feel Out Of My Element

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby is an awkward mess.

It had been hours. The sun that was high in the sky was now low below the horizon and was setting on the waves of the sea. Abby was pacing back and forth as Lev sat on the deck with his head resting in his hands. Every time Abby tried to run back, Lev had to pull her back. 

“Abby, please--” 

“No, Lev. I can’t calm down. What if she got bit? Or worse!” 

“She’s been out here for six years, Abby… There’s no way she would get bitten now. She’s smarter than those demons.” 

Lev believed in Skylar, and from what she told him, it would take a lot more than a horde of clickers to take her down. Why? Why was she so resilient against them? Was it because of her parents? She was raised by a FEDRA soldier…

Lev was so deep in thought that he almost didn’t notice the figure walking across the shorelines. He jumped up immediately as he saw that fiery red hair in the light of the sunset. Abby jumped a little and bolted towards the waves, almost tripping over the wires of the fence. 

“Skylar!” She looked up from the wet sand and smiled awkwardly, covered in blood, mud, and brain matter. She sighed a little and tossed the handle of the broken machete into the water before dropping down on her knees and coughing a little. Bruises were around her neck from the infected attempting to choke her to death.

Abby slid across her knees in the sand and reached for Skylar’s shoulders, her strong hands biting against her sore muscles felt like a splash of ice water on her skin. It brought her back down to reality and she looked up at her with a smile. 

“Are you okay? Are you clean?” Abby moved her hair and looked at all her exposed skin to try and find any forms of bite marks. Skylar snorted and pushed at her with her bloody hand and rubbed them over her hair. 

“So to speak, yes. I’m clean.” Skylar’s tone was absolutely cheery as she attempted to stand back up but nearly collapsed into the salt water under her wet overalls. Abby gently wrapped her arm around her waist and lifted her up onto her feet, groaning at the strain of her own injuries but ignored it. 

Lev rushed over, the water splashing under his feet as he immediately did what Abby was doing, wrapping Skylar’s other arm around his shoulders and holding her at the waist, leading her back towards the house where they all struggled to get up the three steps. Skylar hissed and kicked open the front door with her heavy boot, blood splattering on the white paint as they limped forward into the home. 

This was the first time either of them had seen the inside of Skylar’s house. It was decorated in various pastel colors and wood carvings and treasures she had collected throughout her life. The living room had a soft gray fabric sectional that they carefully set her down on. 

Under their feet was a pink stained white rug that looked soft to the touch. Abby knelt down and carefully began to take off Skylar’s boots and tossed them out of the open front door. Lev was pacing a little as he looked her over almost a hundred times to try and see if there were any serious injuries. 

“Lev, go upstairs and start running water. Hot, okay?” He nodded and rushed up the staircase without another word and Skylar started laughing. 

“Wait, I thought it was my job to take care of you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m fine right now and you’re not.” 

“Abby, I’m fine.”

“You look like shit.”

“Oh, well, thank you very much.” Skylar rolled her eyes as she looked down and saw Abby smirking a little, showing off a smile that she honestly hasn’t seen yet. Skylar’s breath hitched a little in her chest as Abby reached for her calves and ran her hands up her legs almost as if to see if anything was broken or if the blood splatters were from open wounds. 

Abby’s touch was like electricity coursing through Skylar’s body, shuddering a little as the woman’s strong hands squeezed at her outer thighs. She was lost in the feeling of her touch that she barely noticed when she stood up and helped Skylar to her feet. The harsh reality came crashing down on her as Lev nearly fell down the staircase. 

“We should get her upstairs.” He looked at them both as Abby wrapped Skylar’s arm around her shoulders, which was awkward with Skylar being nearly half a foot shorter than her. 

“Lev, stay down here and watch the door to make sure she wasn’t followed. I’ll handle this.” 

Lev looked at Abby with a confused look. Abby made a face of obvious discomfort before Lev looked down at Skylar who was nearly panting just from walking across the living room. He nodded and sat himself down on the sectional and stared at the door, trying to not get distracted by all the decor and weapons hanging on the walls. 

Abby made a noise of pain as she led Skylar up the stairs and her hand bit into Abby’s neck a little to try and keep herself up right. They both stumbled through the hallways and into the bathroom that was attached to the large bedroom. Abby took notice of the clothing that was carelessly laying all over the place and the unmade bed and the duvet that was a red plaid pattern with matching pillow cases. 

Skylar pushed open the door and looked at the large bath tub that was filled with clear hot water from her rerouted pipes that filled from a well about a mile away. It was nearly screaming for her as she leaned on the side of the sink and Abby carefully let her go. 

Skylar slowly unhooked the straps of her overalls and began pushing them down her hips and Abby let out a very little squeak and turned around, covering her face with her hands as she began to burn with embarrassment. Skylar looked over her shoulder and snorted a little. 

“You okay?” 

“Y-Yeah, just uhm…” Abby stuttered and her tongue decided it didn’t want to work for her as she bit down on her finger and kept herself facing the other way. Abby honestly didn’t know why she had such a reaction to this… She’s seen other women naked before. Granted, it was almost always because she either walked in on them changing or caught them with her male friends. But this was… somehow different.

It wasn’t because she thought it would make Skylar uncomfortable. But for some reason, she just felt like she shouldn’t be watching her… 

“Abby, it’s okay. It isn’t like I haven’t seen you naked already-”

“Wait, what?!” Abby immediately whipped around and glared for a second before the breath got caught in her throat as she stared at Skylar. What little natural light was left was almost a golden orange color and it played almost like a painting on her skin through the cracks in the window. 

Every inch of her skin was covered in freckles. Scars littered her entire body head to toe and while it didn’t look obvious when she was wearing clothes, Skylar had well defined abdomen muscles and quite possibly the strongest looking thighs she’s ever seen in her entire life. 

It was like time stopped for them both. Skylar’s face turned so red that it could match her hair as she immediately felt self conscious about herself. At some point, you stop caring about what your body looks like in the apocalypse… But suddenly, Abby made that all change. Why? It’s not like Abby was even remotely interested in someone like her… And even so, they were going to leave as soon as they were better… Right?

Abby huffed slightly, her chest rising and falling with deep intakes of breath as she stared at Skylar… She knew that she shouldn’t be, and she should really look away… Abby’s eyes were drawn to the huge scar on her body that she got from the wires around the perimeter. Without her clothes, it looked ten times worse. The jagged cutting from the barbed wire was more prominent on her sternum and across her collar bone. The tissue was a soft purple color and it stood out among her soft beige colored skin. 

But Abby’s eyes were wandering… Was that a birthmark? 

“Stop staring!” Abby jumped back a little as Skylar threw a hand towel at her face and turned around, her whole body practically glowing pink as she tried to focus on something, anything else than the goddess of a woman standing behind her that just checked her out. 

“Shit I’m sorry, I just… fuck, I’m sorry…” Abby muttered a little and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, the stinging sensation reminding her that yes, she was alive and yes, this was really happening. 

Skylar whined slightly and began limping towards the bathtub, the soft padding of her feet hitting the tiles with a wet slap noise from the blood dripping over her body. Abby had to force herself not to look as she was fully convinced that she would soon be staring at another part of her that she probably had no business staring at. 

Skylar swung her leg over the side of the tub and hissed at the hot water hitting her nerves like fire, shuddering as she slowly sank down into the water and watched as it went from clear to a burgundy color that made her stomach churn in disgust. That was on her?

“Ugh, gross.” She began rubbing her hands over her arms and shoulders, running her fingers over her hair and picking out pieces of fungus from the curly mass. It was disgusting, almost an unbearable smell and it was why she was so grateful that she hadn’t seen any of these things in almost two years. 

Abby nervously looked up from her hands and saw her sitting in the tub facing the other way. All she could see was her hair and most of her back and shoulders as she rubbed her hands over her sides and rolled her body a little in the water that was now a murky brown. The way her back moved when she rolled her hips forward almost stole Abby’s breath away for a second time.

“Y-Yeah so, you can… Take it from here. I’ll just be um…” Abby stumbled over her own words and stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her and groaning in absolute agony. She stumbled to the staircase and walked down to see Lev running his hands across the wooden spear hanging on the wall. He watched his friend collapse face first into the sectional and groaned in pure pain that was all resonating in her brain.

“Abby--”

“Not. A word.” She held up her hand and hid her face into the cushions on the couch while Lev leaned against the wall and snorted a little. Watching Abby die from embarrassment was quite entertaining. 

Meanwhile, Skylar sat in the bath water for as long as she could stand before standing up and draining the water and started a hot shower instead. She knew Lev had good intentions but a shower would be much more effective right now. Almost immediately, she started scrubbing at her hair with her homemade shampoo and rinsing out the blood and mud, getting her body as clean as possible before she took the time to really digest.. What just happened with her and Abby. 

Did Abby really do that? Stare at her like she.. Was a whole ass meal and she hadn’t eaten in weeks? The look in her eyes reminded Skylar of the looks she saw in wild animals when it came to meek prey they were about to devour; it sent chills down her body. 

Skylar’s hands ran across her muscular belly and up over her breasts, absent mindlessly tracing the scar between them and across her sternum. The way Abby’s sight lingered on her skin was… Wow, Skylar hasn’t felt something like this in years. Yes, Skylar saw Abby naked when she was nearly dead and she was set more on saving her rather than admiring her. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t imagine it later when she knew that Abby was better now. 

Her mind echoed the images to her and all Skylar could see was her gorgeous body that just radiated strength and muscles that could snap her neck if she really wanted to. Her arms, her shoulders, her chest, her abs, her legs, hell even her calves just oozed strength. Skylar whimpered and leaned her back against the side of the shower as she envisioned things that she hasn’t ever thought of before. 

How would it feel for those arms to wrap around her body? Those hands holding her wrists… Those eyes drinking in her body as their legs tangled in her flannel sheets… That sexy as all hell smirk that she finally got the pleasure of seeing… 

“ _ Fuuuck… _ ” Skylar knew this was gonna be a long ass shower. All she was hoping for was that Abby was downstairs and not anywhere near the bathroom. She was gonna be loud. 


	6. A Million Dreams Are Keeping Me Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylar remembers her family. And Abby causes gay panic.

When Skylar came down the stairs, Lev was passed out on the couch while Abby was sitting at the table with her face nose deep in what looked like Skylar’s photo album. Her head was resting on her fists as she rested her arms on the table. The sun was down over the horizon and the lights were flipped on in the kitchen. 

Skylar rang out her damp curls and walked down the rest of the stairs now wearing a black tank top spattered with stars and matching shorts with white socks with various grass stains on the soles and ankles. Abby was stuck on a page with her father, her mother, and little Skylar standing in front of the sign in Catalina. 

Abby looked extremely confused as she jerked a little when she saw Skylar standing in front of her, patches over her body to clean up some wounds. “Hey.” 

Abby took this time to notice her body once again. Yes, she looked like a beautiful woman even in this light-- Wait, what? Abby scolded herself immediately and looked down at the photo album, trying not to think about it. Why the hell was Abby suddenly thinking about a woman this way?

“H-Hey,” She stuttered a little and pushed herself up onto her feet away from the table. The chair squeaked across the wood and Skylar smirked slightly as she walked over to the photo album on the table and she carefully peeled back the protective plastic seal holding the Polaroid in place. 

"I remember this photo… it's our first day on Catalina island. Dad wanted to take it the second we landed." Skylar giggled to herself and tucked the photo back into the album. Abby took notice of how her hands shook and she braced herself on the table and slowly flipped through the photos. She came to a page where it was just a singular glossy shot with blood splattered on it. It was of her mother and father on the horse that Skylar escaped on. 

"Rest peacefully." Skylar muttered before closing the album and sitting down in the seat that was still warm from Abby's presence. Abby watched as she ran her fingers through the damp curls on her head. Very slowly, the taller woman sat down in the chair next to her. 

"Skylar… when you and Lev were talking before… you mentioned fireflies?" 

A deep breath left the redheads throat and she nodded a little as she fought back tears. 

"What did you say about them?"

Abby knew she wasn't exactly helping the sadness… But she hasn't lost everybody in her path to give up on her search now. Didn't she owe this to Owen to at least try and keep looking? 

Skylar sighed and rubbed her temples slightly. "I was telling him how my parents died… they were swarmed by infected fireflies on the Santa Barbara island." 

Abby let out a defeated groan and rubbed at her face slightly. "Why were you looking for them?" 

"We weren’t. We were looking for a place to be safe for the night when we got swarmed.” Abby watched Skylar stand up away from the table and head to the small fridge across the room, reaching in and pulling out a glass jar full of water. Very slowly she unscrewed the lid and sipped from the contents, sighing a little at finally being able to drink something. 

Abby turned around and rested her arm on the back of the wooden chair and watched her drink from the mason jar… There was something Skylar wasn’t telling her, she could feel it. What was it about this girl that just made Abby want to… 

Abby caught her thoughts before they ran away from her and rubbed her hands across her face in an angered fashion. Skylar looked towards the living room and noticed how Lev was still fast asleep on the couch. It warmed her heart to see them both finally inside of her home. 

“How about we take him to the guest bedroom? You both deserve to sleep in a decent bed now that you can handle the stairs on your own.” Skylar set down the jar and limped towards Lev who stirred as she stroked her hand across his cheek. 

“Hey sweetheart… Come on, let’s get you to bed, yeah?” Lev, who was mostly asleep when he responded, slowly sat himself up and Skylar swung his arm around her side as she eased him up the stairs. Abby followed behind to catch them if they fell. Once upstairs, Skylar pushed open the door on the far left side of the hallway and led Lev into the room, resting him on the bed that was in contrast to her bedroom. The sheets were a deep blue with black pillow cases and all over the walls were paintings of various different sceneries and silhouettes. 

Skylar leaned down and removed his shoes gently and lifted his legs up, pulling back the blankets and tucking them around his body as he curled up a little and pressed his face into the pillows. “There we go… All better now.” 

Lev hummed in approval as Skylar ran her hand across his shoulder and stood up off the floor and headed back for the open door where Abby stood, smiling like a proud dad watching their wife and son. It was cute. 

“He’s a good kid.” Skylar muttered as she left the door open a crack and moved towards her own bedroom. 

“Yeah, he’s a delight… Pretty much all I have left.” Skylar frowned as she faced the other way. What did Abby mean by that? It sounded so sad…

Skylar pushed her bedroom door open and flicked the switch and the lamp light turned on next to her bed. Abby stepped inside with a confused look and saw Skylar heading for her bed and crawled onto it without a second thought. Abby sucked in her breath and watched Skylar get on her hands and knees for a second before kicking back the blankets a little and pulling them over her legs.

“Since I only have two beds… Do you mind?” She glanced to the vacant spot next to her and Abby stumbled slightly in surprise. Was she suggesting they… Sleep together?

“Wha-- No! No, that’s okay I… I don’t mind the barn--”

“Abby.” Skylar looked at her with a determined look. “I check on you both every night… Sleeping in hay is meant for the goats… You deserve this. I-If you feel more comfortable, I can sleep on the couch downstairs--”

“No!” Abby jumped at how loud even she was when she shouted out and bit her lip slightly before cursing herself and kicking off her boots and fumbling with her belt a little. Skylar blushed slightly and realized they were just into a nightly routine where Skylar checked her wounds and how they were healing. It only makes sense they do it again before bed, right? 

Abby pushed her jeans down over her legs and whimpered slightly as she moved to the other side of the bed and lifted her legs up, resting them on the soft blankets under her. Skylar clicked her tongue a little and reached down, her hands ghosting across Abby’s still healing wounds. The flesh on the stitches was angry red and slightly puckered but was healing nicely without any chance of infection.

“They look okay to me.” Abby said and shrugged a little as Skylar gently reached for her shirt sleeve and tugged it back to see the deep stab wound on it. That one was still a little more angry than the others but was also healing fine. Bruises faded from the angry blue to a sickly yellow and the ones that were yellow before were now fading. Abby was ten times better than before. 

“You’re doing much better, Abby.” She smiled and flopped down on the bed after pulling the chain and putting out the light. Abby smirked and laid down next to her. The second her back rested on the soft mattress, she groaned happily at how comfortable it was. 

“Thanks, Sky.” She felt her heart skip a beat at the nickname Abby just gave her. It was just so endearing how much Abby had seemed to care about her in such a short time… Was it real caring? Was Abby just being nice because Skylar saved them? Was she just getting close to her to hurt her? 

Skylar watched her for a few minutes as the moonlight bathed her in a soft blue glow, reflecting off her skin and playing a pattern on her cracked lips. Skylar felt her eyes wandering, just kind of like what Abby did to her while she was stripped in the bathroom earlier. A small wave of guilt washed over her but then it was replaced with overwhelming desire. 

Fuck, how did this happen? How did Skylar get like this? With one of the most beautiful women she has ever seen in her bed beside her but playing on the pretense that she wasn’t interested in her like that. How is it that just by random chance, Abby landed on her island? Near her home? And she found her just in time to save them both…

Maybe fate? Destiny? Skylar was never one for belief, she wasn’t a faithful person. But she knew that everything happens for a reason. There was a reason that Abby and Lev were with her right now, and she just couldn’t stop thinking about it or how much worse it could have gone had Abby landed somewhere else. Would they still be alive? Would they have been eaten? Raped? 

Her gut twisted painfully at the idea of someone hurting either of them… Especially Lev. 

Skylar was well aware he was transgender. She had to undress the poor boy after all. And she had witnessed his poor attempt at binding. Whatever he was using, it was hurting him and she saw the bruises around his ribcage. Whether it had been from abuse, or the fabric, Skylar wasn’t sure. But what she did know… She was going to have to teach him about safe binding, like, yesterday. 

Of course, she could have been totally wrong about him being transgender and binding was just easier when fighting. But she took a chance when using he/him pronouns. If she was wrong, Abby would have corrected her. But she hadn’t, so she guessed correctly. Guessing was wrong, though. She should have known better; her father raised her better. 

Skylar had zoned out pretty far and was still staring at Abby when she did. Which Abby picked up on after a few minutes. She opened her eyes and saw Skylar’s gaze almost burning into her skin. 

"You okay?" Skylar snapped back to attention and rubbed at her eyes a little. 

"Y-yeah I'm fine. Just.. was out of it for a minute." Skylar rubbed at the back of her neck nervously and looked the other way, her face burning a little but just enough for Abby to see it in the moonlight. 

Abby chewed on her bottom lip for a second, almost trying to get her thoughts in place before she said anything. But Skylar didn't give her the time because right when she was about to ask, she laid down on the bed and her arms wrapped around the extra pillow she had next to her. 

Abby cursed herself for hesitating. But brushed it off- there was always tomorrow. 

"Goodnight Sky." 

She felt Abby turn over to the other side of the bed and she instinctively dug her fingernails into the pillow. 

"Goodnight Abby." 


	7. Maybe Just The Touch Of A Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both our girls are incredibly clumsy and Lev makes assumptions that make everybody ten times more awkward.

The sounds of tweeting brought Abby out of her sleep and she awoke to the soft glow of a sunrise filtering through the open window. The cool breeze from the ocean washed over her bare arms and she let out a soft groan, rubbing at her eyes a little. For a moment, she forgot where she was and almost thought she was back in Seattle. But then everything came rushing back like the opening of a floodgate and she saw the unfamiliar decor or Skylar’s room.

There wasn’t much to the room other than figurines all over her dresser and even along the wall it looked like there were paintings in the woodwork. Flowers of all kinds graced the white walls and if she didn’t know any better, Abby would have thought Skylar to be a professional artist. 

Abby attempted to sit up but realized something was weighing her down. She turned her head and Skylar’s red mane of curls tickled against her face and she froze. The woman was practically on top of her under the plaid duvet. Abby felt Skylar’s bare legs against her own and how hot her skin was in contrast to her slightly cooled self. Her arm was resting just on Abby’s abdomen and somehow in the night, Skylar’s hand had slipped under her shirt and was resting against her bare flesh; even her hands felt burning in contrast to Abby. 

And what was worse? Abby had a grip on Skylar too. Her arm was tucked under the farmer’s waist and her grip on the smaller girl’s hip was iron like. Abby has never been a cuddling kind of person before, no matter what the scenario… So what made her instantly cling to Skylar once she had fallen asleep? It wasn’t like her. 

How in the hell was she gonna get out of this without waking up Sky? Abby shifted a little and attempted to move her legs away from Skylar’s untangling them from the bedsheets as best as she could while trying not to wake her up. But Skylar was clearly not ready to move yet. Her left arm squeezed around Abby’s and her right hand pushed up even further under Abby’s shirt, making her heart stop slightly as it rested just below her right breast and across the bottom of her ribcage. 

The way her fingers slid across her skin, even in her sleep, her hot electric like touch on her cool flesh felt better than anything else… What the hell was happening to her? Was Abby so starved for affection after so long that she was starting to feel things for a woman? Never in her life had she thought like this before, she’s always only ever found men attractive… Why the sudden change? 

Abby’s brain was racing with so many thoughts at once that when she felt Skylar’s fingernails in her skin, she let out a soft gasp of surprise and looked down at the girl who was still well asleep. Abby almost whined in defeat as she realized the only way out of her hold was to wake her up… 

“Sky… Hey,” Abby’s hands brushed over Skylar’s face and moved her hair out of the way to see her better in the light of day. Abby noticed a small bruise forming on her cheek and quite large ones around her neck. 

Skylar made noises of protest at someone attempting to wake her up, burying her face into Abby’s shoulder and shaking her head. 

“C’mon, don’t do that… It’s morning,” Abby whispered in such a soft way that she didn’t know she possessed. Abby watched in fascination as her eyes fluttered open and the deep green of her irises glinted in the sun. There were flecks of gold in there… It was beautiful.

Skylar seemed to just be stirring into consciousness because it wasn’t until after about a minute passed did she realize that she was clinging to Abby like a koala bear on a eucalyptus tree. Skylar squeaked and shoved herself back so hard that she took herself off the bed and the covers went with her, tangling around her legs and torso. 

“Sky!” Abby crawled over to the other side of the bed to see Skylar holding onto her head and groaning in agony. “Hey, what happened? Are you okay?”

“Nghh…” Skylar moaned in pain and wiggled back and forth slightly. “I-I’m fine…” 

“What was that about?” Abby crawled off the bed, still in her underwear and knelt down, reaching for Skylar’s hand and helping her up onto her feet. Skylar placed her hand against the older woman’s and attempted to stand up but with the covers still restricting her movements, she ended up slipping back down onto the floor and her instinct was to hold onto Abby to try and not fall down. 

Abby was still too weak to hold herself up, let alone Skylar. So without the strength she needed, she ended up falling down on top of Skylar, her face pushing right against Skylar’s chest and her leg between the redhead’s, Abby’s arm pressing against Skylar’s abdomen which made her cough slightly and this time, it was not Abby’s pure hotness that knocked the breath out of her-- Rather Abby practically slamming into Skylar’s still injured torso.

“Ugh-- fuck,” Skylar whined slightly as she attempted to sit up, Abby moving her arms to press them on either side of Skylar’s head and being careful of her hair as she slowly pushed off the floor and planked overtop of Skylar who was still catching her breath. 

Abby felt her heart stop for a second time that morning. First, it was checking her out while fully nude in the bathroom. Then it was Skylar nearly groping her in her sleep, and now, Abby was practically straddling her. 

Skylar’s breath came fast as her chest rose and fell with each deep intake. Her eyes were closed and Abby could tell her eyes were in the back of her head with how her face seemed to strain a little. Skylar took deep open mouthed breaths and her tongue slipped out for a second to lick across her bottom lip. Abby was practically drooling. 

Skylar slowly opened her eyes as they attempted to focus and she looked up to see Abby still leaning over her. Her hot breath ghosted on her face that was already burning with not just embarrassment, but now from a lack of oxygen. She could see the way Abby’s muscles were practically rippling from how she was towering over her like a wolf with a helpless bunny. Her heart raced and she could hear the beat in her ears as Abby’s gaze traced across the freckles on her cheekbones and faded down to her lips. Both were breathing so hard that they didn’t hear the door opening behind them.

“Oh! Guys, I’m so sorry!” The sound of Lev’s voice brought Abby back down to Earth and she jumped up and away from Skylar who was almost in a daze. Abby wrestled with the blankets around her legs and pulled them over herself to almost shield her body from Lev who was standing at the door with his hand over his eyes. 

“Lev! Shit, uhm… This… This isn’t what it--” 

“I’m sorry, I just heard noises and I… I wasn’t sure what was…Er, okay uhm… I’ll just… Sorry!” The boy immediately felt so awkward just being in their presence that he swung the door shut hard enough for the windows to shake. Abby groaned a little and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, letting herself feel the uncomfortable sting and feeling white spots dance in her black vision. 

Skylar slowly sat herself up and rubbed at her sore abdomen, carefully untangling her legs from the covers this time and rising off the floor. 

“Well… That was awkward..” Skylar rubbed at the back of her neck a little as Abby stood up, huffing slightly. 

“Yeah, no shit.” Her gaze turned back to Skylar who was staring at her feet and Abby could immediately see guilt racing all over her features and dancing in her eyes as she refused to make eye contact with her. “Hey… You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Skylar snapped a little at Abby as she pulled the covers off the floor and tossed them back on her bed. Without another word, she made her way to the bathroom and before Abby could question her any further, the door slammed shut in her face. What the hell was that about? 

Abby really wanted to check on her, just to see if she was okay. But if anything, she may need space more than comfort right now. But why did she act like that? 

Her thoughts were just reeling like crazy to the point where she felt like her ears were ringing. Trying to stop this ache in her chest, she pulled on the pants she was wearing yesterday and ran her hands across her scalp slowly before opening the door and heading out of Skylar’s room.

Abby found Lev downstairs, sitting on the porch and staring off into the sunrise. His legs were shaking a little as he watched the waves dance against the shoreline and it made Abby smile. He was so innocent in his own special way. Abby pushed back the screen door and sat herself down next to him. 

“Hey,” Lev smiled nervously as he tapped his fingers over his knees a little. 

“S-Sorry again about walking in on you two, I was just--”

“Lev, nothing happened. She fell and I was helping her up.” 

“...Oh.” It all suddenly made sense to him and he immediately felt stupid. Lev put his face in his hands and let out a soft groan of discomfort for not realizing it sooner. For as long as he’s known Abby, she’s never shown interest in another woman before… 

“So stupid…” Abby muttered to herself and pushed her face down into her arms with her legs pulled up to her chest. 

Lev watched her small breakdown and frowned slightly. He has to help her somehow, right? I mean he wouldn’t be much of a friend if he didn’t help her out, even slightly. 

“Abby,” She looked down at Lev with a strained look. “Do you… like Skylar? In the way you… Liked Owen?” 

Abby closed her eyes for a second and she immediately flashed back. Owen… The one guy that she really loved. And he chose Mel over her, and gave her a child that will never see the world. The one thing Abby always wondered was what could have been if Ellie hadn’t murdered them. Would her and Mel still be practically enemies? Would they have died in Santa Barbara? Would Mel’s kid know about her, or even like her? 

But what if Owen chose her? Abby could never really see herself ever being pregnant with someone else’s child. For the longest time, she didn’t even like kids. But when she met Lev and Yara, all of that changed. She was willing to sacrifice everything just to see them live. Nothing made Abby’s heart ache more than remembering Yara and how far she came- how much she went through just to die at the hands of who Abby for so long called family? 

What ever happened to them? To the WLF and the Seraphites? Who won the war? 

DId it even matter now? Seattle was lost to the fight and nothing there could be redeemed no matter what it was. It was almost like a cursed place where whatever touched the state was doomed to die. And somehow, her and Lev survived… She really did protect them, huh? 

Abby ran her fingers over her arms as the cool morning air sent a little shiver down her spine. What was her answer? How did she feel about Skylar? She’s only known her for about a week, maybe ten days… She wasn’t at the point where she felt more than what she felt for Owen. But... She couldn’t deny that there wasn’t at least something there. 

“I don’t know, Lev… I’ve never…” Abby glanced behind her to make sure Skylar wasn’t around. The last thing she wants to do is make her feel worse. “I’ve never felt much of anything for another girl before… But there’s this… strange feeling that I just can’t shake.” 

“It’s okay…” Lev reached out and placed his hand on top of hers, smiling in a comforting way. “You don’t have to explain why you suddenly feel this way. Sometimes, it just happens when you least suspect it… One thing that Yara always told me was that… Love knows no gender. You fall for who someone is, not what they are.” 

Nobody’s ever really told Abby that before. Not even her father had this kind of conversation with her. Because forever, Abby has never given off any other vibe than straight. To be fair, most women she encountered didn’t exactly like her. 

Abby took a moment to reflect on what she was feeling. If she liked Skylar… What was the harm in letting her know? Maybe… Skylar might even like her back? 

“I had an idea…” Lev muttered slightly to Abby who looked down again and her face was hopeful and her heart fluttered at an idea on how to figure this out. “If you do like her… Why not get her something to show how you feel?” 

“What would I even get her?” Abby snickered nervously as she played with her fingers.

“Well… I saw how some of the men in our village courted women… It might be slightly old fashioned but, it’s worth a try?” 

“...Okay. Let’s do it.”


	8. Baby You Gotta Decide Something, Let Me Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby is really good at embarrassing herself, but at least she can skin a rabbit, right? Skylar is taking notice on how Abby and Lev are both acting shifty... Shiftier than normal.

As it turned out, courting was not something that Abby was fantastic at. In her relationship with Owen, she was aggressive, bossy, dominant, and kind of harsh. But she got the feeling that Skylar would not put up with that kind of shit-- Owen was kind of a pushover. Skylar was not.

So Abby was on her absolute best behavior, and Lev made sure of it. No matter what Skylar needed to do, Abby was there to help her. Getting hay bales down from the loft, cleaning up the house, even giving Diablo a bath was a top priority for Abby. Lev was keeping to himself in the gardens to avoid the obvious third wheeling, as Abby described it. Which Lev still didn’t know what she meant, but didn’t question it. 

The two women worked away at scrubbing Diablo’s coat with brushes and a shedding blade. It was nice that Skylar wired up the plumbing to a water pump and attached a hose to it, making things so much easier instead of lugging water back and forth from the well or the ocean. 

As Skylar was hosing down Diablo’s flank, she watched as Abby knelt down and began scrubbing over his back hock and making sure to get all of the old sand off of him. Skylar was far too busy staring at the woman’s rear as it pressed as close as possible to her sweatpants and gave the absolute best outline of her muscles- she was too busy staring at Abby’s ass that she didn’t notice that Diablo’s tail flicked in just the right way that it smacked the hose back into her face and drenched her from the head down to her thighs. 

“Gah! Diablo!” Skylar stumbled back and dropped the hose, which immediately hit Abby in the back and soaked her clothes. Abby immediately jumped up and backwards as she saw Skylar stepping on the hose and stopping the water pressure for a second as she gripped her hair in her hands and squeezed the liquid free from her drenched curls. 

“Damn it… I’m sorry Abby,” Skylar frowned a little but immediately felt her breath get caught in her throat as she saw the tank top on Abby that was drenched front to back. The outline of her ass was now not the only thing Skylar took a chance to admire. 

Skylar noticed the way the material hugged her bare abdomen and showed off her flawless abs and the little outline of her sports bra that was slowly getting wet itself and showing the outline of the woman’s breasts. Skylar couldn’t stop staring, holy hell was this woman beautiful… 

Skylar whined to herself and immediately looked away, her freckled face turning dark pink as she looked towards the waves and tried to just focus on herself as she unhooked the straps of her overalls and rolled them around her waist and stripped off her flannel, making sure to keep her tank tucked into her jeans and pulled on it a little as it stuck to her skin.

Abby ran her hands down the front of her own chest and flicked her fingers a little, looking down at Skylar who was looking away from her and Abby thought her knees would give out. 

The first thing that Abby noticed was that Skylar was not wearing a bra under that tank. Skylar’s breasts were much bigger than Abby’s, and looked almost perfect from what she saw in that bathroom yesterday. But for some reason, this felt more vulgar than seeing her completely naked. How the white material clung to her skin, how water dripped from her hair and down her speckled arms, how her eyes sparkled and how the sunlight filtered through her hair and painted a beautiful orange painting on her skin.

Even her scar was visible through the shirt, and Abby could make out the dark splotch near Skylar’s left nipple that looked almost like a squiggly lined heart. Abby found it beautiful. She found everything about this woman beautiful.

After they dried themselves off, which included changing in the same room but facing away from each other, Skylar decided she was going to do laundry in front of the house. Abby sat by and watched her closely, noticing how her arms flexed every time she dragged the dirt covered clothing down the washboard and into the soapy water. 

From the corner of her eye, she saw Lev making gestures and waving his arms from the front porch and pointing at Skylar and glaring as much as he could at Abby as she just sat there not doing anything. 

Abby didn’t have the best vision but she could clearly see Lev mouthing, “Do! Something!” over and over again as he made vague hand gestures that made Abby shrug with pure confusion. She clearly wasn’t getting anything and made a scoffing noise, which made Skylar look up and see her very quizzical look.

“What are you--” Skylar turned around and saw Lev nonchalantly shucking the corn that he had just retrieved from the garden for dinner tonight. Skylar looked at Abby who looked in the distance for a second before looking down at her hands as she rested her arms on her knees, rubbing her palms together and looking down at the dirt.

“What is going on with you two today?” Skylar sniped a little as she sat back on her haunches and flicked her fingers a little as she rubbed her wrists and hands against her pantlegs. “You’ve both been quiet all day long and acting weird…” 

“I’ve just…” Abby rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. “Got a lot on my mind.” 

Skylar looked over to Lev who wasn’t paying attention; or at least that’s what he wanted her to think as Skylar stood up and sat down on the log next to Abby, gently nudging against the older woman with her arm. “Talk to me, Abby. What’s wrong?”

Abby’s breath hitched when she felt the woman’s forearm against hers and looked at the farm girl who was offering a very warm smile. The little crinkles at the corner of her eyes, the way her freckles contrasted on her slightly red skin, the ruffle of her curls in the beach breeze, it was making Abby forget how to talk. 

What was she supposed to say? That she didn’t know how to say how insanely attracted she was to Skylar? That she wanted nothing more than to hold this woman and give her every single piece of her that she had left, whether it be broken or on the mend? 

It was hard to focus when Skylar was looking at her like that. “I..It’s hard to talk about.” 

Skylar’s face fell a little and she looked away for a second before cautiously reaching around the woman and wrapping her arms around her midsection. Abby’s breath hitched once again and she felt all the color flood to her cheeks and her ears, feeling the redhead’s unruly curls tickling her cheek as she rested her chin on Abby’s shoulder, breathing slowly. 

“Just… whenever you’re ready, alright? I want you to know that I’m here for you, no matter what’s wrong, Abby… I want you and Lev both to know that you can count on me.” 

The older woman’s heart started to pound and flutter like a butterfly’s wings, digging her nails into the tops of her knees before looking over to Skylar and smiled as best as she could without giving away too much before she was ready to tackle it. 

So instead of saying anything, Abby wrapped her arm around the smaller woman’s back and rested her cheek against the girl’s hair, her curls almost pillow like as she closed her eyes and inhaled her scent… It was so earthy, but fragrant with different flowers and herbs that made anyone happy. 

Lev watched from the porch and smirked from ear to ear as they just sat in comfortable silence and held each other. Yes, it wasn’t like how the men in the village courted their soon-to-be wives, but it was sweet in its own way. Abby was finding her own way, and she was doing well so far. 

The day carried out with Abby trying harder than ever before to show this woman her affection without actually putting herself out there on the line. Helping her out, silly pick up lines, innocent flirting, the safe things that anybody would take as a passing joke, and not Abby’s true feelings. 

It all continued long until the sun started setting, and then Skylar knelt down in front of the fire to start prepping their dinner, and for the first time, Abby was sure enough to help out. From her past Firefly training, she learned how to skin various animals, and tonight it would help with the rabbits that Skylar caught when she went to check the traps. 

It wasn’t the best thing in the world, skinning and delimbing this once adorable creature, but she has done much… much worse than this. After Abby was finished, she gently laid the pelts down near Skylar who looked up and saw that the meats were portioned and cut almost flawlessly. 

“Wow, that’s some fine work, Abby… Where’d you learn that?” 

“Just… Some things I learned back in Salt Lake City,” Abby muttered, being vague on purpose as she crouched down near the fire and rubbed the seasonings into the raw meat before placing them on the metal grating, hearing that satisfying sizzle and smirking up at Skylar who let out a little giggle. It made Abby’s heart skip. 

“Well color me impressed. Knew you had some skills that I wouldn’t expect,” Skylar responded as she started working on the potatoes and diced them expertly with knife skills that Abby could only dream of having. How she moved that fast and didn’t slice her finger open, she would never understand--

“Ow! Fuck!” Abby jumped back from the fire as a loud popping noise sounded from the burning wood and embers went jumping out and landed on the back of her hand. Skylar immediately paused what she was doing and put down the knife before scooting over to check on Abby.

Abby frowned and looked down at her hand and saw a red mark in the middle of the back of her hand that looked to be in the shape of a star. Skylar rolled her eyes a little and held out her own hands. “Let me see it,” 

“It’s just a mark, I’m fine--”

“Abigail,” Skylar used her full name, making Abby’s heart jump and her throat ran dry. She felt like a child all over again being scolded by her father. There was something in her tone, that stern look and chiseled expression that made Abby give in and she rested her hand in Skylar’s who ran her thumb across her knuckles.

Abby let out a shaky breath and bit down on her cracked lip as Skylar looked over the small burn and without even hesitating, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss over the mark. Abby probably looked like a deer in the headlights, her eyes widening and her heart all but racing. 

Skylar looked up at her, a dark blush peppering her features as she gently rubbed over the mark with her thumb and rested her hand down on Abby’s thigh. “You’ll be okay,” 

“Y-Yeah, uhm…” Abby stuttered pitifully and retracted her hand, rubbing at the burn, but mostly rubbing it to remember the soft feeling of Skylar’s lips against her skin. The way her brain felt like it was fizzling out, the amount of adrenaline that was racing through her body, the complete rush of desire that she felt, the overpowering want to feel how this woman’s lips would feel on her own, Abby felt like she was going crazy.

But all Skylar saw was Abby silently staring into the fire and not moving, minus the small twitching of her fingers as her face was a bright pink. 

Whatever was going through Abby’s head, Skylar had a sinking suspicion that it had something to do with her… And she didn’t know if she should be interested or scared to death. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally not written this chapter and I was just gonna skip to the next one but I felt like it needed something more. But don't worry, I'll be posting the next one later today. I made you all wait for this so I knew I had to make it count!


	9. Forgotten What We're Dying For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Long Awaited Confession.

The crickets were chirping in the grass as the sun was setting on the horizon. It has been about five days since that awkward day in Skylar’s bedroom. Since then, Abby had been getting oddly closer to Skylar. Whenever she did something, Abby was close behind to help and learn more on how to help. It was quite cute in Skylar’s opinion, how hard Abby was trying to help.

Every day seemed to start in the same way. Abby woke up every morning first and had to pry Skylar off of her just to take a shower first and after every shower, Skylar would check her stitches and rewrap her bandages and then Lev was next. He was now in much better shape than before and didn’t have to really be looked after like Abby did so he was happy to start doing more heavy lifting on the farm. Today he was tasked with harvesting the new crops in the garden. 

Meanwhile, Skylar was busying herself in the actual kitchen of the home and was preparing dinner for tonight, which consisted of fresh bread and lobster with garlic butter. Abby never learned how to make bread, she always said it was too complicated. 

Well, it’s a good thing that Skylar hadn’t asked Abby to help her this time… Abby had a prior engagement with wandering almost the whole perimeter of the island looking for what she needed. She was standing in front of the deck with a large bouquet of Californian yellow poppies and white daisies decorated around the edges with baby’s breath and lavender. It was the most beautiful flowers she could find on the entire island without crossing the barrier. 

Abby was second guessing herself the entire time she was standing there, glaring at the screen door as she could hear Skylar singing on the other side of the door. Her breath was so loud it was deafening and she couldn’t stop freaking out. What if Skylar rejected her? What if she was repulsed by her? What if everything went south so bad that Skylar forced Abby and Lev to leave the island?!

Her heart was pounding in her ears and her iron grip around the stems of the flowers made them groan a little with strain. 

Lev noticed this and rushed out of the garden, placing his hand on her shoulder to get her to look at him. “Hey… you know you can do this… You’ve fought more infected than anybody before. You shouldn’t be scared of this.” 

Abby appreciated that Lev was speaking softly so Skylar couldn’t hear him. 

“Thanks, Lev… You’re right, I can do this,” Abby breathed slowly and ran her fingers across her soft short hair and walked up the stairs of the porch and pushed open the screen door. It squeaked a little and made Skylar look towards the door. Abby held the flowers behind her back and gulped nervously. 

“Hey, did you change your mind about making bread?” Skylar giggled and her eyes squinted slightly as she laughed and tossed her head back, her hair bouncing in the ponytail she had worn today. Abby took this moment to notice how her nose wrinkled up and the freckles were even on the back of her neck! Oh, Christ, she was so pretty…

That gorgeous smile made Abby practically vibrate with happiness as she looked down at her boots and shook her head a little. “N-No, I’m… still convinced I’ll fuck it up.”

“Nah. I mean, it’s hard at first but after a while, it gets so much easier once you build up the muscle for it,” Abby watched those hands work away again. How it gripped the dough on the counter top and pushed the heels of her hands into it, moving them back and forth like it was an art form. After a few more pushes of her hands, she picked up a piece of the dough and stretched it out, looking through it as the sunlight shined through the slightly transparent sheet of dough. 

Abby reminded herself to ask her what she was doing later, but for now, she was only focused on one thing. 

“Sky?” The redhead looked up from what she was doing and gave Abby a quizzical look. 

“Yes, Abby?” 

Her heart squeezed in her chest and she took a slow, deep breath before pulling the wildflowers out from behind her back and nervously offering them to the younger woman. Skylar’s eyes lit up like sparkling emeralds as she saw the beautiful flowers in her strong hands and immediately reached out, carefully accepting them and the aroma of lavender immediately hit her very soul.

“I was looking for them all day… I was trying to find the right ones to give to you,” Abby stared down at her feet with a soft shrug and was imagining how bad it would be if she darted away from this entire scenario. Fuck, what was she thinking?

“You… Why were you looking for flowers to give me?” There was something in Skylar’s tone… Curiosity, confusion, but most of all- endearment. It gave Abby hope that she could power through this after all and ignore that feeling in the back of her mind that she was absolutely insane for doing this at all.

But Lev believed in her. And that’s really what matters to Abby. 

“Skylar… I’m not the best with words. In fact, I might be the least romantic person in the whole world. I don’t really know what I have to offer anybody because I’ve never been in a proper relationship before,” She stopped in the middle of her sentence and pressed her palm on her neck as she tried to think of her next words very carefully.  _ Come on, Abby. Skylar’s waiting. _

“But… I… Fuck, I don’t know what--” Abby groaned a little and looked back down at her feet, wishing the floor would just swallow her up. Her face was burning red and even her ears were turning a little pink. 

“Abby,” She looked up when Skylar softly said her name. “W-What are you saying?” 

That soft stutter in her voice, those deep green eyes, that dark red blush that covered her cheeks and her nose which made her freckles stand out even more, the way she chewed her bottom lip and pulled on the scar that traced across her mouth, the squeeze of the flower stems as she used her other hand to rub her finger and thumb across the petal on one of the poppies.

Abby took a deep breath and stared down at her lips for a very long time- for what felt like an eternity to her. “..Fuck it.” 

Without another word, Abby closed the distance. Her rough lips pressed against Skylar’s soft gentle ones and it elicited a tiny squeak from the shorter woman who tensed up immediately, her eyes going wide and her shoulders rolling back a little. No, this was not what Skylar was expecting whatsoever! 

Abby squeezed her eyes closed as her hands gently rested on Skylar’s wrists, keeping her hands around the flowers to not drop them as she felt something inside of her just kind of spark back to life. It felt like a piece of her that was missing for so long had finally returned with one simple kiss from the most beautiful, kind woman she’s ever met in her entire life. 

She kept her eyes closed and stayed completely still, her breath a soft caress against Skylar’s cheek as the redhead slowly began to melt into the kiss, her legs wobbling slightly to the point where her knees smacked against Abby’s legs and she nearly collapsed, breaking the kiss completely and reaching up for the older woman’s neck to keep herself balanced, holding the flowers behind her head. 

Abby wrapped her arms around Skylar’s waist and gripped her at the hips, holding her up as her legs were almost next to useless. Abby’s heart was pounding hard against her ribcage as she looked down at Skylar who was looking up at her like she was her savior. 

Skylar giggled nervously as Abby helped her back up onto her feet and she gently laid the flowers down on the table top. As soon as she was back up on her feet, Abby reached up slowly and brushed her fingers across her forehead to push the bangs away from her face, staring down into the deep emerald orbs that were almost sparkling with… was Skylar crying?

“Sky, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to--” 

Abby was silenced immediately with Skylar jumping forward and wrapping her arms around the taller woman’s neck, her lips pressed against hers as she was knocked back against the table hard enough for it to squeak across the floor. Abby’s eyes went wide in surprise before she just dissolved in her arms, wrapping them up around her waist as Skylar held her by the neck and moved her lips in time with Abby’s.

Never in her life has something like this ever happened. It was like nothing Skylar’s ever felt before and Skylar didn’t want this feeling to ever fade away. All she could think about was how Abby held her with such care and how her lips felt so gentle on her own. Her mind was racing and her heart was stuttering like a scratched record. This was really happening. Somehow, some way, Abby had fallen for her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooo!! We did it, lesbians! We got there! Abby has a girlfriend!! AAAAHHHH!! I was so happy when I wrote this!!
> 
> But, if you all know anything about The Last of Us, don't get too comfortable... Happiness means that heartbreak is right around the corner... but also awesome fight scenes. That were amazing fun to write. PREPARE YOURSELVES!!


	10. It's Where My Demons Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the weather gets colder, Skylar has to go hunting past the fence. But this year, she won't be going in alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was waaaayyy too excited to wait and post this chapter. So it's here very early! Enjoy!

About 2 months ago, Skylar had every intention of Abby and Lev leaving this island. She was one hundred percent convinced that they would run away the second they were well enough to make it on their own. But here they were, completely settled into the house that Skylar called home and now they called it their home now. 

Lev had made the room a safe space for himself where he made a little shrine for his Prophet and began to pray again. Skylar didn’t exactly understand, but chose to leave it because it wasn’t her place to judge what he chose to believe in. 

Abby, on the other hand, wasn’t very religious. All she kept in Skylar’s room was a knife she crafted herself from a dead deer’s antler and the various gifts she had made for Skylar over the last few days. Which always consisted of flowers and herbs which Lev showed her how to make some things. Two days ago, Abby had gifted Skylar a flower crown made of wild tiger lilies and it made Lev so happy to see them both being happy together. 

Lev found out on the very first day that they got together because they chose to be grossly affectionate the entire day. At first, it was slightly awkward between the two of them. But at the campfire, Abby sat right next to Skylar and held her hand, kissing her knuckles a little and looking at her like she was the only girl in the whole world. 

It was endearing to see Abby so… affectionate. Never before had Lev seen her act this way with anybody. Even with their short time with Owen, Abby seemed more angry than anything with him. But with Skylar, it was like she was on a constant high of happiness and he was hoping that it would last forever. Abby deserves to be happy; it’s been so hard for them for so long that they deserve this. 

But today was different… There was something with how Skylar was acting, it felt like she was avoiding something that she wanted to talk about. But Skylar never said anything even throughout the chores today, which were pretty minor due to it getting colder. The crops this year had pretty much run it’s best course and it was time for Skylar to get more aggressive with not only feeding herself now, but feeding two others as well.

It wasn’t until Abby saw her reaching into the closet next to the front door that she knew something was going on. She pulled out a wooden bow and a brown leather quiver stuffed with arrows that looked homemade. Skylar’s fingers stroked across the wooden surface of the bow and she let out a deep sigh. 

“What’s that for?” Abby said from behind Skylar who jumped a little in surprise. 

“Abby! H-hey,” Skylar stumbled over her words and let out a whine, gripping the bow with her hands as hard as possible. Very slowly, she set it down against the door frame and looked up with an almost innocent smile. Abby crossed her arms across her chest and her brows knitted together, bangs falling in front of her face. Her hair was getting longer.

Skylar stumbled with her words. "Uh, well you see this… the thing is- I just have to.. ah, fuck it," Skylar groaned and stepped out of the closet, closing the door behind her with her foot. 

"I'm going hunting this afternoon." 

Abby looked down at the bow with a curious stare. "Why do you need that? Your traps work great." 

"Yep, they do. But not when little animals aren't coming to the coast… they all head inland before the cold weather hits." 

At first it was confusion, then it was replaced by immediate terror. Abby’s breath hitched and she realized immediately that Skylar was planning on crossing the fence. She never crosses the fence! She never lets them cross the fence either! 

"N-no wait, you… you can't be serious, Sky," Abby looked absolutely terrified.

"I've done it every year so far and I've been fine, Abby. This year shouldn't be any different." Skylar slipped the bow over her shoulders and strapped the quiver around her hips. Abby's panic began to rise as she looked like she was going to leave at any second. 

"B-but isn't it dangerous?!" Abby chased after Skylar as she went outside, the screen door swinging behind them and alerting Lev who was sitting on the porch watching a lizard in the grass which ran off the second it heard the loud slam. 

"That's why I'm going alone." Skylar’s curls bounced as she walked, her whole body showing a tough rigid power that Abby hasn't really seen before, nor Lev. 

"But what if you get caught? What if something happens to you?!" Skylar reached into the quiver and pulled out a huge camp knife and spun it in her hands dramatically. 

"Abby, I'm not exactly helpless. I survived for six years on this island before you two showed up. I can handle myself," Abby felt like she was pushed into a corner. Of course Skylar could handle herself, of course she was a capable fighter… but there was always a chance of her getting hurt, or worse. It was the small chances that made Abby scared. Maybe she could-- 

"I can go," Lev walked down the staircase and stood next to Abby, practically bouncing off his heels as he looked at the bow around Skylar’s torso. 

"No, honey, it's too dangerous," Skylar said softly as she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He scoffed and pushed it away before holding out his hand, asking for the bow around her chest. Skylar slid it off of herself and handed it to Lev who took one of the arrows in the quiver and notched it to the bow with little effort. He pulled back on the bowstring, aimed down slightly, and released it. It went straight through the large ripe tomato that was sitting on the porch railing and buried into the wall behind it. 

Skylar was completely stunned. Where did this teenager learn to shoot like that? 

“I’m very good with a bow,” Lev handed away the bow to Skylar who was looking down in confusion at her hands. The bow somehow felt heavier in her grasp after it was used by someone who was no doubt an expert. Maybe… It wouldn’t be a problem if Lev came along for this. Just to see how it goes?

“I’m gonna be moving fast to avoid the  _ He kia’i _ \--”

“I can handle it. I promise.” Lev was already walking away in excitement at the idea of being able to use a bow again. Skylar looked at Abby with pure confusion as she shrugged a little bit before following behind Lev towards the shorelines. 

“Hey, wait! Abby!” Skylar raced after her and nearly stumbled over the dirt as she grabbed her girlfriend by the shoulder. “I told you, it’s too dangerous for you to--”

Abby silenced Skylar swiftly with a kiss on her forehead and grabbed her hand. Skylar frowned and looked up at Abby who was smirking a little as she slowly reached down and grabbed a rough handful of Skylar’s rear, making her leap slightly in surprise. 

A blush flooded over the redhead’s cheeks and she pushed her hands against Abby’s chest, just under her collar bones. Abby leaned down and softly whispered to Skylar.

“I’m not helpless, Sky. I can still protect you if something goes wrong,” Her lips gently brushed across Skylar’s ear and it sent a shudder of excitement down her spine, nails digging into Abby’s shoulders and eyelids fluttering closed just to melt into her strong grasp. 

Skylar had no idea what Abby really was capable of… Never seeing her actually fight something, she couldn’t say her curiosity wasn’t piqued. If something went wrong, Skylar had enough faith in her abilities that she could protect them. But she wasn’t going to let them go out without any form of protection. 

“Stay here for a sec,” Skylar jumped back and ran to the house, opening her closet up and pulling out her revolver and the extra ammo, and then reached for the hunting rifle and extra shells, tucking them away in her bag as she came back out and offered the hunting rifle to Abby with a smirk. 

Abby accepted the rifle and pulled back on the bolt, seeing that it was already loaded. A smirk crossed her features as she slung the strap over her shoulder. 

“Figured a rifle would be more your style. Lev!” The boy turned around as Skylar was removing the bow from her chest and offered it to him. He accepted it with a giddy sort of happiness and slipped it around his chest, almost ecstatic to go hunting inland. 

Skylar checked her revolver and slipped it into the leather holster, gently nudging Abby with her elbow as she ran in front of Lev so he didn’t get lost on the way. Abby was close behind them both as they headed in the opposite direction of the beaches and headed past the dense foliage that Lev and Abby had never really seen before. But Skylar knows these woods, very well. 

Just before Abby was about to step forward, Skylar placed a hand against her chest and told her to stay put. Confusion was written on her face but Skylar looked down and removed her hunting knife, cutting the grass down a little and showing Abby the tripwire that she was about to walk directly into. Lev carefully stepped over the tripwire and Abby followed behind, her nerves now more on edge than before. Skylar knelt down, her legs rippling slightly under her skin tight jeans that Abby liked seeing her wear so much. Slowly and cautiously, she gripped at the fence and pulled it back. 

“Abby, you first,” Skylar whispered and Abby nodded, crouching down and moving under the fence carefully as she made sure the rifle handle didn’t catch on the wires. Lev followed behind as Skylar crouched down and whispered in an aggressive tone. “Don’t move yet!” 

It made Abby halt in place and her foot was hovering over the dirt and Skylar crawled through the fence and she sliced at the grass once again and saw that the way was clear. 

“You never know where tripwires are,” Skylar muttered and slipped the knife into her boot as she carefully moved around the foliage that was getting much denser and thicker the deeper into the forest they went. Abby was hot on Skylar’s heels the entire time while Lev kept an arrow notched at all times, spinning as they moved to watch out for infected. 

So far, everything was going smoothly. No infected, no  _ He kia’i _ , everything was okay. But they weren’t seeing any animals either- only birds in the trees and those were never safe to eat. Nine times out of ten, they carried diseases. Skylar had her sights set on a stag, and wouldn’t leave these woods without something big to show for it. 

Abby moved with hyper vigilance, almost like she’s been doing this her entire life, while Lev handled himself with grace and agility. They both made a magical combo together and if Skylar wasn’t around, and they weren’t at risk of tripwires and traps, they probably could handle themselves fine. But they would definitely get lost, or get themselves blown up. 

The minutes passed by as they made their way deeper into the forest and Skylar saw a familiar tree with a large rope tied around one of the much taller branches. She let out a sigh of relief when she noticed it still there and looked back and forth before grabbing at the rope.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Abby grabbed her arm before she could climb and Skylar sighed.

“I always scout ahead before going further. This is a high traffic area and we can’t get caught up here.” The action made Abby visibly uncomfortable but Skylar has been doing this for a very long time and she wasn’t about to change that now just because it made Abby uncomfortable.

So she took a step back and watched as Skylar handed her pistol to Lev before she grabbed the rope and jumped so her feet touched the tree trunk. Both of them watched Skylar carefully scale the tree, wincing slightly as the rope cut into her hands with every move and she got closer and closer to the thick branch she had latched the rope to about 2 years ago. When she reached it, her hands scrambled to grab the thick branch and she could feel her heart drop in her feet as she almost slipped off the branch. 

“Ngh! Fuck,” Skylar muttered a little and wiped her hands off on her jeans as she looked out and tried her best to follow what used to be the set path for the  _ He kia’i _ and where they usually roamed. But something was strange… “That can’t be right.” 

“What is it? What do you see?” Lev whisper shouted up the tree and Skylar looked down. 

“Usually I can see smoke over the trees right there… Or even people. I don’t see… Anybody,” How was  _ He kia’i  _ just gone? That’s impossible, they have been on this island for so much longer than Skylar. Did the infected get them? No, that would be too easy of an answer. Was it trespassers? No, they could have never made it past the gates! Even their camp looked absolutely deserted. 

Skylar slid down the rope and her boots hit the dirt with a heavy thud. She accepted the pistol from Lev and tucked it back into her jeans. “Something’s wrong. The Guardians are missing.” 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Lev asked and shared a look with Abby who just shrugged.

“Not if they’re outside the fence or setting a trap for us,” A sharp intake of breath was followed by a deep sigh from Skylar and she began looking around frantically in the woods. They weren’t on the paths. Their camp was empty. Everything was quiet… This was not good. 

Abby nervously held the rifle in her hands and looked around with the same frantic speed as Skylar who ran a hand through her hair and tugged on it slightly. What was the plan now? Turn around and barricade themselves inside the house? Continue the hunt? 

“What’s the plan, Sky?” Abby was looking to her for leadership, which made her immediately nervous. Skylar’s never been a leader before… Leading a trek through the woods for animals was one thing. But to actively seek out the  _ He kia’i _ ? 

“We’re going to the camp,” Skylar spun the pistol in her hand for a second before looking up at Abby, waiting for hesitation on her part. But all she saw was raw, angry like confidence. Has she done something like this before? “We have to get close enough to the camp and set off the traps to try and draw them out.” 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Abby rolled her shoulders almost like she was gearing up for war and Skylar took this moment to admire her amazing arms and how her eyes almost sparkled with mischief. It was pretty sexy how ready she was to fight and that burning look of determination written all over her body. 

Skylar looked to Lev and then back to Abby, nodding quickly as she took the lead and moved through the forest with ease. The silence was unnerving and creepy, and it did not sit well with them whatsoever. 

“What can you tell us about the Guardians?” 

Abby moved next to Skylar and held onto the rifle with protectiveness. 

“Their camp is an old hotel called Aruba Caribbean Resort. They have infected in cages around the perimeter, trained dogs, and tripwires at every entrance. There’s a twenty foot gate in front topped with barbed wire and electric wires around the gates. The only way inside is with a key or following someone inside,” Skylar listed off the dangers around the camp and she heard Lev gulp nervously. “It’s almost impregnable…”

Abby noticed her words were lingering. Skylar smirked a little and looked over her shoulder and playfully winked at them. “Almost.”

Skylar ducked under the branches and moved carefully through the last of the foliage as they approached an abandoned street full of broken down houses and cars. Skylar slowly moved across the street but came to a halt when she heard the pained moans and clicks of the infected. 

“Fucking come on…” Skylar muttered under her breath as she crouched down and moved behind a car, Abby and Lev hot on her tail and crouching down. 

Abby slipped the rifle behind her back and she placed her left hand behind Lev’s head and practically shielded him from sight. Skylar carefully removed the knife from her boot and looked over to Abby and let out a sigh. 

“Okay… We have to cut through the clubhouse on the end of the street. You take that runner, I get this one?” Skylar motioned to the infected woman next to the broken down Subaru on the other side of the Saturn they were hiding behind. Abby nodded gently and began backing up while still crouched, moving slowly and quietly through the cracked street and dead grass. 

Skylar looked to the boy and made a motion for him to stay put before she followed Abby’s lead. They both approached the backs of the runners as the infected shook and trembled in place, looking down at their feet and hunched over like they were slowly losing their minds. 

Skylar held up three fingers to Abby and counted down quickly before they both lurched forward and grabbed them. Skylar wrapped her hand around the runner’s eyes and quickly stuck the knife directly into their head, the blood seeping from the wound and down her hands. The runner went limp in her arms and she slowly lowered the corpse onto the ground. She looked over and saw Abby with her arms around the runner’s neck and held her wrist as she gave a harsh yank and heard the snap of the runner’s neck even from far away.

Skylar took this moment to stand completely still and just listen… When she could hear more clearly, she found that there was another runner hiding in the broken down delivery truck and there were three clickers wandering around outside, sending out sonic waves every so often to try and find something living to attack. Okay, so there was the plan. 

Skylar looked over to Lev and waved her hand. He ran up immediately to where she was and crouched down with his bow ready. Abby followed suit and stood next to him. 

“Okay, Lev, since you have a silent weapon, you’ll take the high ground?” Lev nodded in approval and looked around before seeing another downed semi truck near a 2 story house. Lev nodded towards the truck and Abby nodded before they both made their way towards the truck. Skylar slowly climbed on top of the car and stayed crouched down as she watched their back with her pistol ready in case things went south. 

Abby was quick and pushed Lev onto the hood of the semi truck, his weight making the steel of the hood groan slightly but just barely. He leaped up onto the box of the semi truck and got down on one knee with his bow and looked around like a sentry and spotted one of the clickers that was closer to him than the others. He tugged back the bowstring all the way and took a slow, deep breath before letting it loose. 

The arrow pierced the clicker directly in the head and it fell onto the ground with a thump, letting out one last high pitched shriek before falling lifeless. Skylar smirked and crawled over to the dead body and ripped the arrow out of its head, spinning the arrow a little and mock saluting the boy who confusedly did the same thing, shrugging slightly.

Abby took the lead this time around and very slowly approached the clicker that was shambling around and twitching like crazy, shrieking and clicking in the opposite direction. Abby made a face of determination as Skylar walked up and handed the arrow to her. Abby gripped the arrow in her strong hands and jumped forward, wrapping one arm around its neck and stabbing the clicker directly in the forehead between the fungal growths. 

It silenced instantly as Abby snapped the arrow and it broke off in its head. Very slowly, she lowered the body down and stepped back a little, looking at Skylar with a smirk who spun her knife in her hands. 

“Nice moves, babe.” They shared a moment together, Abby smiling at Skylar with pride in her very being and they both jumped a little when they heard another clicker drop onto the dirt. They looked up at Lev who was in the middle of notching a new arrow and waited patiently for the next move. 

Skylar slowly turned and began to slowly approach the last clicker that was out in the open and held the knife close to her chest, ready to attack the final clicker and move on from outside… 

But there was a loud shrieking noise that Skylar heard and she turned her head to see a broken window and she saw that inside, there were over five runners and even more clickers. Fear crossed every part of her face as she jumped up and quickly lurched forward and stabbed the clicker in front of her directly in the neck under its chin. It collapsed and Skylar kicked her foot directly into its chest to get it out of the way and off of her knife.

“Run! Find some cover!” Skylar bolted away from the infected that were just flooding out of the broken window and were all running towards Skylar and Abby. They pulled out their weapons and began to really fight. 

Abby looked through the crosshairs of the rifle and aimed for the infected running out of the window and began firing shell after shell into the infected bodies. It always took more than one shot with clickers, which was not good considering she didn’t have the extra ammo, Skylar did. 

The redhead in question was climbing up off the ground and on top of a suburban, pulling the hammer back on the revolver and began firing off rounds at the runners. Even if she couldn’t land headshots, shooting out their legs was also working and it gave Abby enough time to react and finish them off with her heavy boots. 

Lev was keeping quiet and so far, none of the infected found him and he continued firing off arrows toward the clickers. Every other arrow was a clean and precise headshot while the others were either body shots or shoulder hits. 

Skylar was too busy focusing on Abby and Lev, making sure none of them got touched that she didn’t notice the runner behind her that shouted out and grabbed her by the ankle, yanking her down and off the side of the van. She screamed in surprise as her body hit the asphalt and the runner tackled her, his hands swinging wildly and his jaws snapping like a shark catching a fish.

Skylar kept her arms and hands away from the teeth and she tucked her leg under his body and shoved her foot directly into his stomach. The runner went tumbling back into a red four door with a loud smack, the glass shattering behind it. It gave her enough time to stand up and lunge forward, slicing the runner’s throat and getting drenched in the blood. 

Scrapes were all over her arms and face as she wiggled her hands and turned around at the sound of her girlfriend shouting in rage. “Get… Offa me!” 

Skylar hopped on her feet and darted for her, holding the knife like a serial killer and jumping up, her legs wrapping around the clicker that was swinging at Abby and dug the knife directly into its chest. She stabbed its torso over, and over, and over again before they both fell down onto the pavement. Abby fired one last shot towards the runner and watched it fall into the dirt.

Skylar breathed heavily and slowly stood up off the ground, kicking the clicker away from her body as she wiped the bloody knife onto her jeans. Abby slung the rifle back over her shoulders and shouted to Lev to come down. “Alright, that was the last of them!” 

Lev jumped off the truck and stumbled slightly as he jogged over to the other two and made a face at Skylar who was drenched in blood. She wiped her read hands against her ass and now two bloody handprints rested on her back pockets. 

“Fuck, that was close.” Skylar muttered a little and looked over Abby like a nurse with her patient. Abby snickered and held out her arms so her girlfriend could inspect her skin which was completely free of bite marks. Once she was satisfied, Skylar wiped her hand over her forehead and flung the blood away dramatically. 

Skylar began walking towards the house that the infected came out of and jumped over the windowsill, stepping away and letting the other two follow her inside. 

“Take a look around. See if there’s any supplies we can grab,” Lev began to wander around and look through the cabinets in the kitchen as Abby and Skylar headed upstairs, keeping their guard up the whole time just to be safe and not run into anybody. When they decided that the area was clear, they lowered their weapons and began checking all of the rooms. 

“Are you glad we tagged along now?” Abby muttered as she crouched down and retrieved a box of rifle ammo from the cabinet in the bathroom. Skylar rolled her eyes and pulled out a bottle of alcohol from the dresser drawer. It looked like, maybe, vodka. Sanitary and to the point. 

Skylar pulled out a clean rag from her pack and ripped it a little to get a small strip from the fabric and twisted the bottle open, pouring the alcohol on the cuts along her upper bicep and she hissed in pain before wrapping the strip of clean fabric around her wound and tying it off to keep it secure. 

“I would have preferred you two stay out of harm's way… But yes, I’m glad I didn’t have to do that alone,” Skylar looked up as she knelt on the ground and began rummaging through her pack and looking over to Abby who held out the ammo with a smile and she accepted it, slipping it into her bag before moving towards the closet and pulling the door open. 

Skylar almost let out a scream as a body tumbled free from the closet and hit the floor with a loud bang and she shuddered slightly. Most of the dead woman’s skin was gone, along with her hair as it seemed to be pumped full of lead from a machine gun. 

“Body’s pretty old…” Abby said that like it didn’t phase her whatsoever and Skylar scoffed slightly when looking at her girlfriend who was almost emotionless when it came to dead things. 

Skylar stepped over the body and gently pushed it out of the way as she looked into the closet and let out a surprised gasp of happiness, reaching over onto the shelf and pulling out a leather backpack and opening it up to check the inside. There was a whole bottle of whiskey, a box of revolver bullets, and two pairs of scissors. Skylar looked up at Abby and offered the pack to her, which she immediately accepted. 

Abby stood up straight and smiled at the weight on her back, feeling like she was herself again and not just some helpless sidekick. The way she beamed with joy was almost intoxicating to Skylar who smiled in return. 

Even while covered in blood and scrapped from asphalt, Abby still found Skylar to be so beautiful that she was bouncing on her heels slightly and trying to resist the urge to kiss her. Skylar took this moment of quiet to wipe the blood off of her face with the water bottle in her pack. And the second her face was clean, Abby grabbed her by her belt and pressed her lips on Skylar’s.

A little whine left the smaller female’s throat as she immediately melted into the kiss. Her eyes slid closed as she reached up and slid her wet hands into Abby’s scruffy hair and let a wave of relief wash over her. They made it through that horde just fine, so maybe this was gonna go better than she believed? 

Abby took a step forward and Skylar responded with a step back and that continued until Skylar was pressed into the wall next to the bedroom door and Abby’s left hand slid down from her neck over her chest, lingering on Skylar’s breast under the now blood stained shirt that felt cold under her touch. 

Skylar whimpered and slowly pulled back from the kiss as Abby pressed her forehead against hers and licked at her lips, her hand slowly kneading at her soft breast through her shirt and sports bra. 

“A...Abby, we have to keep m-moving..” Skylar whined pitifully as Abby seemed to almost completely ignore her and just kind of buried her face into her curly hair on her shoulder and closed her eyes as she felt Skylar’s heartbeat through her chest and into the palm of her hand.

Skylar was in a complete daze as Abby touched on her sensitive body. This was the first time Abby had done something like this… Before today, Skylar and Abby had been moving relatively slow and sex wasn’t a factor to either of them, due to them being way too shy to make the first move, respect for them both wanting to wait later on, and both of their heavy inexperience. But it seemed that Abby was changing her mind. 

“Sky…” Abby whispered breathlessly on her girlfriend’s neck who shuddered under the taller woman’s caress and felt a warmth coarse throughout her entire body. Her voice sounded so desperate, so touch starved, so needy. 

Skylar’s senses were fleeting pretty fast as Abby trailed her hand even lower and began to tug on her belt a little. But before anything else could happen-

“Abby! Sky! We need to keep moving!” Lev’s voice made them both snap back to reality and Abby let out a sigh of frustration and left a single kiss on Skylar’s lips before stepping back and adjusting the pack on her shoulders. Skylar shivered and immediately missed the feeling of Abby’s strength on her body. 

“Come on,” Abby motioned to the staircase with a look of disappointment and before she could walk off, Skylar gave a harsh swat on Abby’s rear, making her jump forward and turn around and look at the redhead who wore a smirk on her face and she leaned up when walking past Abby and whispered a single word in her ear. “Later.” 

Skylar’s tone was so sultry and husky, it made Abby tremble with anticipation as they headed back downstairs and acted like nothing was wrong. Time to keep moving. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think is gonna happen? I wanna hear your predictions in the comments, pleaaaaase! Reading the comments is why I love writing this story so much! Lemme know what you all think is gonna happen neeeext!!


	11. When Faith Still Needs a Gun, Whose Ammunition Justifies the Wrong?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuance of our favorite family heading for the Guardians stronghold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys may hate me after this chapter. I'm very sorry.

“There’s no way she’s gonna get that.” 

“Abby, have a little faith.” 

“Oh, so now you're optimistic? Lev, c’mon, this sounds ridiculous.”

“I’ve heard worse plans.” 

“Oh yeah? You mean mine?”

“Well…” 

“You know what? Never mind.” 

Lev snorted slightly and rolled his eyes as Abby put her hands on her hips, tapping her feet a little on the wooden floor as she waited patiently on Skylar to open up the door on the other side. It wasn’t just her being impatient, she was also scared. Skylar has been gone for too long and it just felt wrong for her to be gone for that long when all she had to do was find a way to open the door…

Abby was on the verge of pacing before she heard a loud humming noise and then the power started flickering and turned back on. It was followed a few minutes later by a beeping noise and the door swung open and Skylar stood on the other side with a smirk on her face. 

“Hello there,” She leaned on the doorway and giggled, dramatically spinning the knife in her hand as Abby rolled her eyes and Lev stepped through the doorway.

“Nice work,” Lev piped up and began walking backwards while looking around at the inside of the clubhouse beyond the keycard door. “I knew you could do it. Abby on the other hand…”

“Lev, does the phrase ‘in confidence’ mean anything to you?” Abby rubbed the bridge of her nose a little as Skylar smirked and tilted down to look up at Abby’s face with a shit-eating grin. Oh, how this felt good and she was gonna milk it for all it was worth. 

Abby groaned a little and walked past Skylar who couldn’t stop smiling and began to jog to the front of them, continuing to lead the way through the clubhouse. Down the hallway and to the staircase to lead them up to the second floor where she knew about the open window that led down to the next street. 

On the way up, Abby found some extra rifle ammo and Lev found arrows in the wall near the window. Skylar slowly pushed open the window and it swung to the wall, light flooding into the room and she carefully crawled out of it and hopped onto the roof. Abby and Lev followed next to her and Skylar pointed over the side of the wall. 

“See that slanted white building and all of those palm trees?” 

“That’s where we’re headed?” Abby looked over in the distance. She couldn’t exactly say that it was close by. 

“Yep,” Skylar grabbed the edge of the roof and swung herself over the side and hit the ground, making a noise of discomfort as her muscles strained a little. Abby followed behind and hit the dirt behind her and caught Lev before he could fully hit the ground. “We better keep moving.”

They all continued on through the woods and kept going through the rest of the neighborhood that looked completely desolate. Nobody was around. Skylar continued to look around, honestly hoping at this point that she would see at least someone who wasn’t infected. But so far, that’s all they’ve seen since the last neighborhood! 

They continued walking for almost two hours, moving through streets and taking down the infected that got in their way easily, almost like they were doing this together for years. In Abby and Lev’s case, it was true. But they had to admit that having Skylar around was a nice addition so when they both ended up getting swarmed by runners. 

They were all walking along in creepy silence when Skylar approached the bridge that led over the ocean and across the walkway. From here, she could see almost twenty runners. So they definitely weren’t heading that way. Skylar let out a deep sigh and jumped into the water, looking over at Abby and Lev who had no choice but to follow. 

“Fucking hate sand.” Skylar mumbled to herself as they waded through water up to their hips. The sand was attempting to collapse with every step they took but no matter what, they had to stay quiet to not alert any of the infected on the docks. Once they successfully moved past the docks, they reached the front gates of the resort and Skylar looked up at the huge gates and the even huger building.

The gate was completely impossible to scale. Skylar sighed and clicked her tongue a little as she looked left to right and tried to find out what she could do to maybe lure out the  _ He kia’i.  _ Her mind wandered a little and she immediately remembered the alcohol and lighter in her backpack. 

“I have an idea.”

“Another one?” Abby looked over where Skylar reached into her pack and pulled out the whiskey and ripped one of the cloths, shoving it into the bottle and dipping it upside down a few times before she walked down the side of the gate where there was a cage of clickers that were almost packed in there like sardines. In a weird way, Skylar felt bad for them.

But without another thought, Skylar lit the cloth of the molotov and took a few steps back to get the trajectory right and then launched it over the huge fence. The molotov exploded on top of the clicker cage and they all started shrieking and screaming, flailing around like wild animals before the flames got past their fungal body armor and they all dropped dead inside of the cage. 

Any minute now… Any second now someone was gonna come out… 

“Should… we be doing something?” Lev looked over at Skylar who let out a groan of frustration. 

“I don’t understand. That should have worked.” It was almost freaky that nothing was happening yet. What happened to everybody that used to just swarm this resort? There were over 100 Guardians around the last time she was able to see this place. But now, there was absolutely nobody around. 

Abby slowly walked up to Skylar, treading through the water slightly as she moved across the wet street. Skylar tapped at the ground with her boot and rubbed at her forehead for a second before looking around and trying her best to find a way inside. Lev walked up to the front gate and pushed on the door with his foot a little, not expecting anything. But immediately stumbled forward when the gate swung open without any form of lock.

Skylar heard the squeak of the metal gate and she reached for her pistol out of instinct before noticing that it was Lev. A sigh of relief left her throat and she tucked her pistol backed into her jeans. All three of them walked in through the front gate and began to do circles, trying very hard to see if anybody was nearby. 

Abby kept her hands on the rifle as she walked slightly crouched and with hyper vigilance and a strong feeling that they were not alone here. 

“Keep your eyes peeled, guys… Someone’s gotta be out there,” Skylar was starting to regret this decision to storm the Guardian base, her heart racing like crazy and her blood rushing faster than Diablo could canter. 

Skylar took the lead and walked up towards the front doors and spun the pistol in her grasp, pulling back the hammer and giving the wood one hard kick and watching it fall to splinters. The inside of the building was too quiet. It wasn’t until the doors were open did she see that there were over thirty dead bodies near the back of the plaza. 

And every single one of them had the same symbol on their biceps. It was a mark made by a cast iron brander; the mark of the  _ He kia’i _ . 

Skylar tucked the pistol away and ran across the room without checking for any sort of trap. Which was a careless oversight as all she was focused on in that moment was finding out what happened. When her foot caught a trip wire, she fell face first into the marble tile floor and let out a loud groan of pain. 

Abby rushed across the room to her aide and Lev was prepared for some form of explosion… But what they weren’t expecting was heavy iron bars to drop down and seal every door and window shut. The bangs from the strong metal made Skylar jump and start to look like a deer in the headlights of a truck. 

Before Abby could reach Skylar an arrow had pierced her directly in the thigh and went clean through to the other side, knocking her back down onto the floor and immobilizing her. 

“SKY!” Abby and Lev shouted out at the same time and the older woman slid across the floor on her knees, grabbing at Skylar and pulling her close to her chest. 

“Aghhh! Fuck…” Skylar looked down at the arrow in her thigh and hissed as Abby moved her. Lev looked up and saw that the balconies of the second floor were surrounded by what looked to be more of the  _ He kia’i _ . Skylar growled and spoke through gritted teeth. “I.. Fucking knew it.” 

A slender woman with short black hair stood in front of everybody, a sword in her hands and a smirk all over her features as she saw the wounded redhead on the ground, her blood smearing all over the floor. 

“Keep those weapons ready. Shoot them if they try anything.” She walked down the staircase at a slow speed and began approaching Skylar with an evil grin, spinning the red banded katana and watching for any movements from the other two. Abby clutched Skylar to her chest who was scooting back and growling in pure rage at the woman in front of them.

The Guardian raised her sword and pointed it directly at Lev’s neck. “Weapons. Toss them over there,” She motioned to the pile of fresh bodies and Lev looked over at Skylar with fear in his eyes. With his hesitation, the sword pressed against the skin of his neck and it slowly bit into his flesh. 

“Now!” Abby jumped a little and immediately removed the rifle around her shoulders and chucked it over to the bodies, Lev following suit with his bow and the arrows. Abby cautiously reached under Skylar’s shirt and removed the revolver, tossing it away and keeping her hold on the redhead as tight as possible. 

The woman with the sword smirked and knelt down in front of Skylar who glared up into the woman’s dark brown eyes. “Hello, love. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” 

“Not long enough, Deja.” Skylar hissed through her teeth and sat up on her hands as every part of her left leg hurt with the arrow directly through her muscle and skin. 

Deja grinned, showing off her white teeth and looking up at Abby. “Drop her.” 

“Fuck you.” Abby snapped and held her girlfriend as tight as she could without hurting her. 

Deja started to softly giggle before it turned into a loud roaring laughter before she raised the sword and swung it across Skylar’s face, creating a shallow cut on her cheek. Abby jumped back and looked up at Deja with a scowl. “I never ask for anything twice.” 

Skylar looked up at Abby, blood dripping down her cheek and she nodded a little, telling her to do what Deja said. Abby slowly let her down onto the ground and scooted back to where Lev was and immediately grabbed him by the arm and stood up, stepping as far back as possible as there were over fourty machine guns aimed at them.

Deja slowly knelt down and rested her sword on the ground before taking Skylar’s chin in her grasp with a devious smirk. “Tell me, love… Is that your girlfriend now? Aw, but what we had was so special.” 

“Yeah, if special means deadly, sure.” 

Deja cackled and ran her thumb across Skylar’s bottom lip gently. 

“You know something, Leah… Of all the people to betray us, you were always my favorite… I mean, why do you think we never went after you? We let you live comfortably on the coast for years, never went after you and for a long time… I always thought you’d come back to us.”

“Well, that was another thing you were wrong about, Deja.” 

Deja’s grin slowly faded to a frown and she took a step back and dropped Skylar’s face, standing up and looking around at the men and women on the balconies. 

“Guardians! Leah Delmariah has returned!” They all looked at each other with confusion and slowly lowered their weapons. Deja sheathed her sword for a second and began to spin in a circle as she looked down at the pile of bodies and softly giggled. “And the old fools that kept us from going back for her cannot stop us now.” 

Skylar looked at the bodies and amongst them all, she recognized one old, gray haired man that had his throat slit open and his esophagus was missing. Every body was covered head to toe in bites and cuts. What had Deja done?

“You killed Maleko?”

“No, Leah. The infected killed them. I was just… powerless to save them.” The tone of her voice was dark, teasing, and malicious. Skylar knew exactly what had happened. 

“Why are you calling her Leah?” Lev stepped forward and the machine guns were raised again towards him and Abby who put her hand back over Lev’s chest. Deja turned around and smirked slightly as she removed her sword from the sheath again and slowly slipped the blade under Skylar’s shirt and pressed it to her abdomen a little, her smirk only widening. 

“Aww, did you go by your middle name after you left, Leah? How cute.” Skylar attempted to stand up off the floor and stumbled slightly as she stood up, blood rushing down her leg and onto the floor. Deja walked back and forth in front of her like a wild animal ready to devour its prey.

“So what are you waiting for? Just kill me already.” 

“No, love. We can’t just kill you…” Deja stepped forward and grabbed Skylar by her right hip and smirked as Abby looked more pissed than ever before, her brows knitted together and her eyes wide with pure rage. Very slowly, Deja slipped her hand past the waist of Skylar’s jeans and traced a small mark that was on her rear close to her hip. “You are the key, remember?” 

“Well, I never fucking asked to be your special key, did I Deja?” Skylar’s voice was burning with frustration as that familiar touch on her skin was sending so many mixed signals. But she definitely knew that the only thing Deja wanted was the scar she was tracing with her nails. 

Deja reached up with her other hand and dragged her fingers across Skylar’s throat before grabbing it as hard as possible and choking her. Skylar’s hands went to Deja’s wrist as she pushed back and made Skylar take two steps back, blood rushing down her jeans and into her boot. 

“You… Would squander this gift- instead of sharing it with the world like it was meant for? You have it for a reason… You were brought to us for a reason, and now you want us to watch the cure for humanity just walk out that front fuckin’ door?!” Deja shouted the last few words and used more strength than Skylar thought possible to launch her across the room and into a pillar. 

“Sky!” Lev yelled out and held out his hand, almost as if he was attempting to stop her from hitting against the solid rock. The redhead smacked against it with a loud cracking noise as the arrow broke off in her thigh and attempted to push back out, making her shriek in pain and collapse to the floor. 

Abby was scared, pissed, so many emotions all at once but what was really drawing her in was what Deja was saying… Cure for humanity? A gift? What was Skylar hiding? Was it possible that she was…

“Take a good long look at them, Leah!” Deja pointed to the pile of bodies and Skylar whined pitifully at seeing one of the men that she had considered her second family, dead and mutilated. “I mean, if only they were immune, right?” 

Alarms sounded off in Abby’s brain as it suddenly all made sense. Why she’s stayed alive for so long, how she managed to beat an entire horde of clickers on her own, why she mentioned the fireflies-- Skylar was immune! 

“Don’t worry, love… We’re gonna fix it all… With your help, we will be able to create that vaccine that you talked about; we will save the world.” Deja leaned down and softly whispered into Skylar’s ear and she drew back, her face wrinkled up in disgust.

“The world can go screw itself.” Deja took a few steps back and grabbed the rifle that Abby had brought inside, flipping it to the other half and looking down at the stock to see the letters “DR” carved into the wood. 

“Gave your girlfriend my rifle? Now that’s just dirty,” Without waiting for a response, Deja brought the gun up above her shoulder and rammed it back down into Skylar’s face, the stock hitting her so hard that it shook her brain in her skull and she was rendered completely unconscious. 

“Skylar!” Lev jumped forward and attempted to run to save the redhead but Deja looked up at the army with machine guns and two shots were fired, hitting them both in the shoulders and knocking them down. Hollers and hoots were heard throughout the entire plaza as they all raced down the stairs and began to bind the other two with rope and pulled them apart.

“Lev! LEV! Don’t you fucking touch him!” Abby shrieked like a banshee as the little boy was dragged away from her and a bandanna was wrapped around his mouth and through his teeth. Abby was too focused on Lev that she almost didn’t notice when Deja grabbed a fistful of her hair and looked down at her with a sadistic smirk.

“Who are you?” Deja demanded and Abby bared her teeth at the smaller female, almost as if she was asserting her dominance. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a large man grab Skylar by her wrists and hoist her up over his shoulder, wrapping his arm around her thighs and holding her like she was a prize they just won.

Deja noticed her wandering gaze and laughed in a breathy tone. “Did she ever tell you-- How she was one of us after her parents died?” The silence grew uncomfortable for Abby and all she could hear was Lev’s strangled cries of terror as he could only watch whatever was about to happen.

Deja stood back and looked up at the man holding Abby within the rope and motioned upstairs. 

“Take them to the top floor. If they try anything, put them in the spore chamber.” Abby’s heart raced and she looked over at Lev who was grabbed by the front of his shirt and lifted off the ground, the female holding his shirt pushing him towards the staircase with the machine gun pointed at his spine.

Abby took one last look over to Skylar who was still completely unconscious and saw blood running down her new wound and probably now a broken nose. 

“Skylar… Skylar!  _ SKYLAR!! _ ” Abby shrieked to try and get her to wake up but it was useless as the man walked off with her down the hall and Abby had no choice but to do as she was told and walked up the stairs. The last thing she saw was Deja walking behind the man holding Skylar through the deep brown colored double doors and one of the guards armed with a bow closed the doors behind her. 

It was just like Santa Barbara all over again… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I didn't actually plan on Skylar having immunity, because I am well aware how controversial this subject has become. We've all seen MatPat's video on Ellie's immunity and how the Fireflies were hilariously wrong with a fungal infection becoming a vaccine, because that is not how science works. But you know what? I don't care! I'm the writer, I do what I want! If you have a problem with faulty science, medical bullshit, and Deja being the worst person in the entire world (You may hate her as much as we all hate David after this), just hit that back button cause it just gets more convoluted and dumb from here. But if you're okay with this and you aren't smartasses, let us take a journey together!


	12. Forgotten What We're Living For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby and Lev set out to rescue Skylar with the help of an unexpected ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned. Lots of line breaks. It switches perspective a lot.

Handcuffs bit into Abby’s wrists as she struggled against the chains keeping her against the wall. Lev was across the room from her, just out of her reach to where she couldn’t get close to him. Tears were streaming down his face with every minute passing, the sun setting faster and faster the more he focused on it. 

Abby just wanted to hold him and tell him that everything was gonna be okay but honestly? She didn’t know if that was true. Was Skylar okay? Was she even still alive right now?

“Do you think Skylar’s okay?” Lev spoke from his place against the wall. 

“Don’t you mean Leah?” Abby’s voice was dense with hurt as she glared at the door and smacked her head against the wall behind her. Lev reacted almost like she insulted her.

“You can’t really believe what Deja was saying, can you?”

“Lev, how well do we really know Sky? She’s been hiding so much from us this entire time!” 

“You haven’t exactly been honest with her either, Abby. Why haven’t you told her you were a Wolf?” Abby’s face immediately showed guilt as she realized Lev was right. It was the WLF’s fault that Skylar had to leave Washington at all. It was the Fireflies fault that her home was burnt to the ground in Idaho. It was Abby and Lev’s fault that she had to cross the fence so soon just to look for food for all three of them. 

Abby sighed and kicked at the floor a little and she pushed her face into her hands. “Fucking immune… Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Because she knew this would happen,” Abby and Lev looked up to see a short man- teenager with a long blonde braid down over his shoulder. From what Abby could see as he stood in front of the door, there was a large burn scar going across his face and his right eye was clouded out. 

Lev pushed himself away from the male who looked less like a threat and more like an injured animal. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Abby was seething.

“What the fuck do you want?” Lev snapped angrily at him, glaring with a sense of viciousness that Abby hasn’t seen since his sister died. 

“My name is Jake,” He started nervously and stepped into the light, his face twisted a little with a sense of worry and concern for the two of them. He was pale, his hair was a porcelain white, and even his good eye was a grayish blue. “Leah said you were Abby and Lev?”

“Where’s Sky?” Abby sat up off the wall and cleared her dry throat as Jake ran a hand across the back of his neck. “Is she alive?”

“For now,” His voice broke a little as he looked to be almost on the verge of tears. “Deja took her down to the bottom floors and… has been running tests for hours. I don’t know how much more her body can handle.” 

“Did you come here just to gloat?” Abby snapped at the young kid who flinched a little and shook his head. 

“When I first met Leah-- Skylar, I thought she could save humanity. My sister told us all that she was immune and told my father that he needed to let our doctors run tests on her to find out what makes her that way…He refused. And Skylar didn’t want them to find a cure.” 

“But why? Think of all the lives it could save?” 

“At what cost?” Jake shouted at Abby who jumped back a little on the ground. “Skylar didn’t ask for this. And the world has given her nothing but pain and heartache. And that wasn’t the cordyceps. Humans took away her family.”

Lev shared a look with Abby who looked just as confused as him. “Skylar said… her parents died from demons.” 

“But what she didn’t say was the reason they were infected… was because the Fireflies were conducting experiments on them,” Jake tossed a tape recorder at Abby and she caught it before it could hit her in the chest. The young man knelt down just out of both of their reach and sighed deeply. “Listen to it.” 

Abby felt her hands shaking as she cautiously pressed play on the recording. 

_ “Time is 14:29, on… September 26th. Happy Outbreak day, yeah? Oh, where do I start? Uhm… We tracked down the Fireflies home base here at Santa Barbara. I’ve been… Reading through some of their old paperwork that they left behind. Where they went, I don’t know. It says here that- I think, they were starting to test the effects of a new string of the infection on some of their own, but every test was inconclusive and none of them were positive…”  _

The man’s voice on the tape was almost defeated as Abby listened very nervously to his tone. 

“ _ We traveled all across the country for them… They have been looking for a cure for years… And the one time we have a solid lead, it turns up empty. This isn’t a coincidence, something happened here.”  _ The voice was silenced for a second before there was a loud clicking noise on the tape. Abby looked up at Jake who tilted his head back down towards the recording. 

_ “Allen?”  _ A woman’s deep voice sounded in the distance and the clicking started to get louder. 

_ “Michelle, stay where you are and keep quiet.”  _ His voice sounded panicked as it was quiet for a few seconds. “ _ Where’s Leah? _ ”

_ “Mama! Pah!”  _ Abby immediately looked up at Lev who’s breath hitched in his throat. That voice-- it was Skylar’s. It sounded smaller and younger, but it was hers. 

“ _ Michelle, get Leah out of here!”  _

_ “We’re not leaving you behind!”  _

_ “God Damn it Mickey, just get out of here now-- AGHH!”  _ The clicking became louder and louder as it sounded like the recorder hit the floor and was picked up again. Michelle’s voice was muffled slightly, almost like she shoved it into a bag. 

_ “Listen to me, baby. Take Crystalline and go. Get to the boat, okay?” _

_ “Mama, what are you saying?” _

_ “We love you sweetheart. Stay alive for us. For the world.”  _ A loud smack was heard and it was followed by the whinny of a horse and loud shrieks from the smaller voice of Skylar. 

_ “Mama! PAH! Don't leave me!"  _ Her words fell on deaf ears as the clicking got further and further away but Abby heard Skylar’s screams and cries over almost everything. It was probably the most heartbreaking thing she’s ever heard in her entire life. 

The sounds of horse hooves stopped for a second and it was followed with a loud explosion in the distance and a high pitched shriek and then the tape went dead. Abby looked over to Lev and then at Jake before putting the tape recorder down and rubbing her face with her hands. 

“If the ones searching for the light… were too blind to the darkness themselves that they turned innocent lives against their will… What hope is there for the rest of us?” Jake spoke this like he has said it a thousand times before. It was becoming very clear to Abby that yes, she wished a cure could be found. But even if they found it, would the cost of it be worth it? 

Maybe that was the question that Joel was asking himself so long ago… Maybe this world didn’t deserve a second chance. Maybe the human race was so full of hatred, greed, and endless suffering that they were all destined to die off this way. 

Abby was so lost in thought that she jumped a little when the clattering of metal keys brought her back to her senses and she looked down to see the keys for the chains in front of her. Jake stepped back to the door and his hand rested on the doorknob as he looked at Abby and the to Lev.

“Get Leah out of here. Stop my sister… Kill her, if you have to,” Jake spoke with such anger and rage as he swung the door open and Abby could see that there were two dead bodies next to the doorway. It was obvious from the pools of blood and lifeless limbs. 

The door slowly closed once Jake was out of sight and Abby began to scramble and reach for the locks of her chains, unhooking the cuffs and rubbing at her wrists a little before racing across the room and removing Lev’s chains. He jumped forward and wrapped his arms around her, both of them wincing at their matching wounds on their shoulders. 

“He said she was at the bottom level… We’re not dying here,” Lev spoke with determination as he stood up and reached out to rip the door open. He slowly grabbed at one of the male bodies by the door and started to drag it inside. Abby helped with the bodies and watched the blood smear across the floor. By the time anybody noticed, it would be too late. 

Abby stuck her head out and looked either way and saw the sign hanging above the door that directed them to the emergency exit. Abby picked up her backpack that sat on the wall across from their room and slung it on over her shoulders, removing something that looked oddly familiar. 

“Is that Skylar’s knife?” Lev looked at Abby who shrugged a little and tucked it into her boot. 

“I figured we may need it. Come on,” Abby picked up one of the machine guns off the floor that was smeared with hot blood and handed the other one to Lev who held it nervously. Never in his life had he used a gun like this, and the kick might break his collarbone. But they had to do whatever it took to get the hell out of this hotel. 

“Follow me and don’t make any noise, okay?” 

* * *

From down in the basement, Skylar hadn’t stopped struggling the entire time she was chained down to this table. So many things had happened, they had taken blood, plasma, tissue samples, saliva, almost everything. Before she became fully conscious, they did X-Rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, any test that the doctors and surgeons could think of.

They weren’t going to stop until they found what they were looking for. Skylar needed to get out. She had to know that Abby and Lev were okay… How could Deja do this? How could she kill Maleko? Her own father? 

The woman in question pushed open the door to the room, holding what looked to be the CT scans of her brain and held it up to the light that was above Skylar’s body and smirked. From where Skylar was sitting, she could see her brain and what looked to be the fungal infection… It was clinging to her skull but looked almost different from everything she’s ever seen. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it? This is what we’ve been looking for, Leah… Or should I call you Skylar now?” 

“Ugh, your voice is worse than the needles.” Even in her pain and sadness, Skylar could still be a snippy little bitch. 

Deja snorted a little and sat down on the edge of the table where Skylar lied, looking down at the redhead with a shit eating grin. “Cute. You really don’t like me anymore, do you?”

“You’re kidding…” Skylar’s hands curled up into fists as she looked up at her ex girlfriend with venom in her look. “You told him that he needed to kill me. And then killed him for not doing it. And then you lure me, my girlfriend, and her son into this fucking hellhole and try to take what isn’t yours and you think I don’t like you?” 

Deja was still smirking until Skylar uttered the last words. “I hate you. I spared you that night… I should have aimed for your head instead.” 

A fist collided with Skylar’s face and blood rushed down her lips all over again as she pushed her knuckles deeper into the broken nose that was now gushing blood even worse than it was before. Skylar gulped down the blood that was staining at her tongue and teeth, her vision cloudy with redness.

“God fucking…” She hissed out as Deja stood up and wiped the blood off on Skylar’s shirt.

“You know, for what it’s worth, I did love you, Leah…” Deja leaned down and whispered in Skylar’s ear as she stood up off the table. “But I’m not about to let this gift go to waste. My mother died because of this infection… And now you will die to stop it.” 

“W-Wait, what are you--” 

“You’re going to be prepped for surgery. And we’re going to be removing this from you for further studies.” Deja held up the CT and all of the color drained from Skylar’s face. The fungus grows all over the brain… In order to get it out properly… They have to remove her brain.

“You’ll be with your parents again soon, ‘Skylar’. And your girlfriend? She’s gonna be our test subject…” Skylar’s heart began racing even faster. Whatever they planned on doing to Abby, it was not a good thing. She had to get out of here, had to escape and save her; save Lev. What the hell was she going to do?! “Sweet dreams, Leah.” 

The door behind Deja closed and Skylar began thrashing back and forth angrily, attempting to wretch her arms free from the restraints that were used to hold down the people that would try to harm themselves or others. Her eyes squinted as tears streamed over her face and she slammed her head back and forth on the metal surface of the table. 

“Let me out!  _ LET ME OOOUT! _ ” It didn’t matter what happened, nor what the outcome was. Skylar was going to scream until she couldn’t anymore. It didn’t matter if someone heard her. 

* * *

The floor numbers went down as they ran down the stairs towards the bottom levels; floor 4, 3, 2, 1. 

Abby’s boots hit the bottom floor and she looked over at Lev, rubbing at his sore shoulder where he held the stock of the machine gun and had a bullet wound. Abby had patched them both up as best as she could when searching the floor they were on, but it would only last for so long. 

As soon as they reached the bottom floor and pushed open the door, they heard voices and ran forward, closing the door behind them and crouching down behind a fallen stone pillar. Abby scowled and looked up over the side of the pillar and saw over six guards, all armed.

“God damn it, we’re almost there,” She cursed angrily and looked around frantically for something, anything to make them disperse. Lev did the same and searched the nearby area and saw a brick just on the other side of the pillar. He slowly reached his hand over and retrieved the hunk of rock, passing it to Abby. “Get ready.” 

Without another word, Abby launched the brick over her head and it shattered a window nearby. The guards jumped in shock at hearing the shatter and they immediately went from being casual to very alert. “You, go check that out.” A man demanded and it was followed with footsteps.

Abby slowly began to crouch walk over to where the broken window was, hiding behind a downed wooden table covered in dust and old coffee stains. The machine gun was slung over her shoulder and she removed the knife instead, waiting patiently for whoever was about to walk up. 

When she saw black long hair and a feminine face, Abby jumped forward and grabbed her by the neck. “Don’t.” 

The female let out a soft whine and shook in Abby’s grasp. “Easy… Take it easy,” 

“Just shut up.” Abby bared her teeth angrily and the knife was driven into the woman’s neck without another word, the blood gushing out of her and down Abby’s hands as she held her by the mouth and dragged her down onto the floor, pulling the body out of the way so the others didn’t find her. 

So far, things were going smoothly. “Did you find anything? Amy?” When the woman didn’t answer, they started walking around to investigate. Abby scooted backwards as Lev quickly moved across the room, jumping through one of the windows and hiding himself on the other side of the wall. Abby stood there and just waited. 

When a new person appeared in her sight, she crouched down a little lower before jumping up and grabbing him just like she did with the woman before. Once her arms were around his neck, she held the knife to his throat.

“Shut it.” The knife slit directly across his face and into his chest, pushing the corpse away from her. When the body hit the floor, Abby looked around to see if anybody saw that but it was completely silent. 

The two bodies sat in the same place as Abby moved to join Lev, leaping over the wall and looking around to find the boy hiding closer to the corner of the room. Abby’s focus was on the voices outside, the footsteps nearby, and all she could think about was protecting Lev and Skylar--

Abby’s focus was broken the second she heard a high pitched, blood curdling scream. Her heart stopped as she realized exactly who it belonged to. “Skylar…” 

All of the guards became attuned to the scream as Abby stood up from where she was, cocked her machine gun, and stepped out into the open. The guards noticed her immediately but before they could fire, Abby pointed her machine gun in their direction and emptied the entire magazine at the guards that became nothing more than swiss cheese leaking blood and their bodies hit the floor. 

Lev stepped out of the room and grimaced at all the corpses. “Abby…” 

“Come on, Lev.” Abby chucked the empty machine gun at the bodies and started jogging towards the unholy shrieks of pain and terror. As they got closer and closer, they saw the one door that had lights on in the room. Through the window, they could see one taller figure standing over what looked like a table and they were holding… 

* * *

“ _ Get the fuck away from me you fucking bitch! _ ” Skylar shrieked and began thrashing back and forth on the metal table, struggling so hard against the restraints that her wrists became almost rug burnt from the fabric. The man standing over her with a syringe looked into Skylar’s green irises. 

“Please don’t struggle. You are about to save humanity--” 

Before the man could finish his sentence, the door was kicked open and without any hesitation, a bullet went clear through his head and he fell on top of Skylar, the syringe falling from his grasp and clattering to the floor. Skylar gasped and turned her head away, tears streaking her red face from how badly she was screaming and the surgeon’s blood. 

“Skylar!” The redhead recognized Lev’s voice immediately and looked over at the door to see him and Abby, machine guns on their shoulders and covered in their own blood and other people’s blood too. Her heart finally calmed down as she saw her girlfriend who looked so relieved to see she was alive. 

“Abby, Lev, how did you--”

“Ask us later. We have to get out of here,” Abby ran to the table and grabbed the dead doctor by his collar and dropped his body to the floor, taking Skylar’s knife and slicing at the restraints. Skylar sat up and pulled them off the rest of the way, rubbing her now purple bruised wrists and slinging herself over the table. 

Her vision started spinning and she nearly collapsed onto the floor when she stood up, stumbling into Abby’s chest as her face slammed against Abby’s injured shoulder. Her leg was wrapped but wasn’t stitched, and the would on her face was clotting to stop the blood flow. Skylar had lost a lot of blood. They had taken a ton from her and her screaming for hours didn’t help either.

“It’s okay, Sky. I’ve got you,” Abby pressed a soft kiss to her forehead away from the blood splatter and pushed Skylar’s face away before slinging the redhead’s arm around her strong shoulders, grabbing her by the waist and helping her walk out of the room. 

Lev went first, holding the gun up and looking every way to make sure the way was actually clear before motioning with his head back the way they came. “It’s clear. C’mon.” 

Skylar held onto Abby’s shoulder, who hissed in pain as the redhead gripped the bullet wound. Abby could block it out, knowing well enough that if they made it out alive, she would be alright again because Skylar would take care of them. And they would take care of Skylar. 

The stairs were a struggle. Every other step, Skylar tripped over her own feet but with Abby and Lev’s help, she managed to make it up the stairwell to the ground floor. Lev kicked open the door and was honestly expecting an army on the other side, but it seemed completely empty. How was the way clear, it should be obvious where they were headed!

“T-They aren’t expecting us to go out this way because of the gates…” Skylar whined a little and clutched her thigh that felt like it was on fire.

“Oh… Right,” Abby looked up at the iron gates baring their exit and looked over to Lev, hoping for a stroke of brilliance that would magically save them from this place. There was no way to get those gates up without finding what dropped them in the first place, and they do not have the time for a scavenger hunt. 

"If we can get to the second floor, we can sneak out of a balcony," Skylar groaned a little as she attempted to stand on both of her legs, fighting everything in her body that was telling her to just stop fighting and give up. "We gotta move…"

"Hold on to me." Without warning, Abby wrapped her arms underneath Skylar’s legs and lifted her up. The older woman faltered for a second before she started jogging towards the emergency exit door. Skylar kept her arms wrapped around the woman's neck and Lev was sure to guard them both with whatever ammunition he had left inside of the rifle. 

Once they reached the second floor, Abby ducked behind a wall as she heard three guardians running across the hallway and going through the rooms, looking for the three of them. They waited until the halls were clear before Skylar directed them to the second room on the right and Abby kicked the door closed behind them as Lev wedged a heavy chair underneath the doorknob. 

Skylar slowly climbed out of Abby's arms and limped over to the window where she wretched up the glass and looked outside. Underneath where they were was the backyard pool and around the entire perimeter were infected. Skylar looked at the door they just came through and heard angry voices on the other side, 

"Here, gimme the gun," Skylar took the auto rifle from Lev who stood back as she knelt down in front of the window, resting the gun on the sill and aiming for the infected, firing off almost all of the rounds just trying to clear them out. Time was running out.

Skylar growled angrily and put down the gun before climbing over the window sill. Abby grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back.

"Wait! Sky!" Abby snapped at the redhead who was panting and getting worse by the second. 

"Abby, let me clear them out," Skylar spoke in such a weak tone that it was heartbreaking. "Out of all of us, I'm the one that will make it out alive."

The voices on the other side of the door were getting louder, any second they would be found out and it would be all over for them. If they didn't move now, they were all going to die here. 

“But what if you--”

“I won’t.” 

“But you could--” 

“I. Won’t.” Skylar angrily spoke as she slung the machine gun around her torso and looked at Lev and Abby before letting out a deep sigh and looking to the pool that was right in leaping distance. “Listen, I’ll go down first; then you follow me and I’ll draw them away.” 

“Be careful, Sky,” Lev gave her a half armed hug and Skylar returned it before looking towards Abby who wasted no time and bent down, pressing her lips against Skylar’s dry cracked ones. A moment passed between them as they held the kiss and Skylar broke it, turning around and leaping from the window. Abby almost jumped after her before seeing the redhead’s body drop into the swimming pool.

The loud splash alerted the seven clickers still left standing and Skylar quickly surfaced, gasping for air and flinching in pain as she struggled to swim over to the edge of the steps, using her arms for most of the swimming and climbed up the stairs on all fours. The cold murky water was like a shock to her system and it gave her a surprising boost of energy as she stood there with the machine gun, cocking it back and waiting as she stood at the pool’s entrance gate. 

Abby and Lev waited for her to start firing and jumped out of the window after her. It reminded them of that day they went to get the medical supplies for Lev’s sister and they fell through the skyscraper’s glass roof and into a pool. Abby swam her way to the far end of the pool and pulled Lev out of the water as she saw Skylar fighting off all of the clickers. 

She used the butt of the gun to bash their faces in and stun them before she would move out of the way and try to get a clean shot on them again. Skylar was too focused on lining up her shot that she didn’t think to look behind her. Through the fence, an infected reached between the bars and grabbed Skylar by the neck and it’s teeth sunk into her shoulder. The redhead let out a blood curdling shriek before shoving her fist into the creature’s fungal growth face and it released its hold on her shoulder. “The  _ fuck off of me! _ ”

She stepped back and fired the entire round into the clicker’s face before dropping the gun and looking over to Abby and Lev. 

“Run!” Without even questioning it, Abby, Lev, and Skylar ran for the gated fence and they all jumped over it, tumbling onto the dirt on the other side as the clickers shoved themselves against the bars and clawed at the dirt on the other side to try and reach them. Skylar gulped down a gasp and looked at the other two as she pushed herself up onto her feet. 

“You two okay?” 

“Y-Yeah, we’re fine,” Abby helped Skylar to her feet and for a minute, she forgot about the arrow wound that was poorly bandaged on her thigh and stood up straight and started reaching for Lev’s hand and lifting him up to his feet. 

“Let’s fucking go!” All three of them bolted around the hotel and started running away from the poolside. As soon as they reached the front doors, a barrage of gunfire was unleashed and almost every single Guardian had started shooting at them. None of them managed to land a shot though as they ran and had no intentions of stopping. Skylar took the lead, her leg threatening to give out with every step she took as they reached the edge of the perimeter and she jumped up onto the hood of the semi truck that was right on the edge of the fence and made sure Abby and Lev got up onto the box of the truck before she did. 

Skylar ducked down and avoided the gunfire, watching Abby and Lev jump the fence and the redhead leaped up and dived over the side of the fence, landing face first into the dirt on the other side. The breath in her lungs was knocked out of her and she started coughing as the gunfire ceased and a look of relief crossed over her features. They escaped? Really?

“That’s far enough, Leah.” Skylar heard Deja’s voice as she looked up at Abby and Lev who showed a huge amount of fear as they helped Skylar up to her feet, Abby grabbing the younger woman at her bicep and helping her to her feet. Skylar looked to see Deja standing there with her sword and it was against--

“Jake,” Skylar coughed a little as she saw the glint of the sword’s steel against his white skin, his hands tied behind his back on his knees, nothing but anger on his face as he looked over to Skylar and shook his head a little. 

“This is what’s gonna happen, Leah,” Deja stepped closer and her grip on the sword got tighter as her eyes went from Skylar’s to Abby’s who was standing in front of her girlfriend in a very protective manner which made Deja scowl angrily. “You are going to hand me the cure for humanity… And I’ll let this runt live another day.” 

Abby immediately reached up and put her hand against Skylar’s chest as she almost stepped forward. Jake hissed as he looked up at his sister and then over to Skylar, struggling against the ropes that were keeping him bound onto the ground.

“Forget about me, Leah. Save yourself,” He spoke harshly as he looked over to Abby, remembering her soft and fearful eyes in the dark as he handed her that recording. 

“Jake,” Skylar spoke in a broken tone, her voice cracking as she looked between him and her ex lover. 

“Leah, if you care about me, you will send this crazy bitch  _ straight to hell _ !” 

“How can I, Jake?” Skylar shook her head a little as tears tracked her face and she started to feel the aftermath of what happened to her in the basement of the hotel. Everything they had taken from her, how much blood she had lost, how fatigued she was from running almost a mile just to escape that fortress of a base that she used to call home… It was all hitting her at once. Skylar felt dizzy…

“I’ll give you to the count of three,” Deja’s voice broke the heavy breathing from Skylar as she started to see her vision getting splotchy. The sun was beating on the back of her neck even harder than if she was working on the farm all day long. 

“One,” Abby’s hand reached behind her and wrapped around the dark handle of the knife that was tucked away on the back of her jeans. 

“Two,” Lev watched carefully as Abby grabbed hold of the knife handle and slid it out of her waist band and flipped it in her hand so she was grabbing the blade by the tip of the metal. Deja’s wrist flexed as she pulled back on the sword and lifted it up in the air and let out a final word. 

“Three.” 

Skylar’s body fell to the ground. Everything went black. Whatever happened next was out of her control. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, if it wasn't obvious, Jake is albino. Him and Deja's family are from Polynesian descent so their whole family is dark skinned except for Jake who has a defective gene and doesn't produce nearly as much melanin as his family. If anybody knows if I got something wrong here, please let me know so I can fix it! I want to be as accurate as possible. 
> 
> Also, yes. I am fully aware that the science side of this story is total bullshit. But that isn't what we're here for. We are here to give Abby a happy ending, damn it. To give her someone who will make her a fucking Christmas stocking! Fight me!


	13. If I Ever Were To Lose You, I'd Surely Lose Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylar tells her story on how she met Deja. Abby has a confession to make.

Everything hurt. Oh, it hurt worse than anything has hurt in Skylar’s entire life. Starvation, dehydration, bites from the infected, even getting wrapped up in barbed wire and strung up for hours wasn’t as bad as this. What happened? 

The last thing Skylar remembers was running from what was left of the  _ He Kia’i _ and Deja was holding a sword to--

_ Jake! _

Skylar sat up so abruptly, all of her nerves and muscles screamed at her to lay back down immediately. And with almost no strength to handle it, that’s exactly what happened. Skylar fell back down against whatever surface she was laying against and her vision struggled to focus. 

The sun was up, that much she knew. Things in the room were bright but not too bright, which either meant she was in a room with windows facing near the sun rays on the horizon. It wasn’t until she started blinking did she notice familiarities to the room… Skylar was back home. She recognized those flannel sheets anywhere. And that familiar feeling of salt water breeze washing over her entire body when morning came. But from the looks of the lighting, it was probably late in the afternoon. 

Skylar tried to move again, tried to lift herself up off her bed, but it hurt way too much for almost anything… She groaned in agony and felt like even wiggling her toes was painful. 

“You’re awake!” Skylar jumped a little at the sudden voice, looking up and seeing Lev leaping out of a chair that was supposed to be in her dining room downstairs. Lev looked exhausted, his short hair was a mess, and his face seemed almost dirty. What happened?

“Stay here, I’ll go get Abby-” Before Lev could run off, Skylar grabbed his hand and used almost all of her strength to push herself up and croak out one word. 

“Jake…” The way Lev looked down at his boots and how his eyes glossed over made Skylar fear the absolute worst. Had Deja really done it? Did she really kill her own brother? 

Skylar’s eyes began tearing up severely before Lev spoke, “He’s alive. Abby needs to know you’re awake, Skylar… She can tell you everything that happened. I promise.” 

Lev slowly pried Skylar’s hand away from his own and she fell back against the bed, putting her palm to her chest and breathing heavily as she took this moment to really assess the damage that had been done to her. 

Those so-called doctors took almost anything they could think of from her. Blood, plasma, skin samples, urine samples, even hair samples. When they pumped her full of drugs just long enough for her to be shoved into that machine that revealed her immunity, that was when it started getting hazy… The drugs were still in her system and then they filled her with something they called Romazicon. It wasn’t necessary to wake her back up, but Deja wanted to see the look on her face when she told Skylar that she was going to take the cure, without any form of agreement or consent from Skylar. 

The Romazicon was a low dosage- they planned on putting her back under after the effects wore off but without more of the drug, the Propofol was starting to take effect again. It slowed her heart rate, her blood flow, and her brain activity to a barely alive state. Nobody should be trying to move with that kind of medication in their system; the side effects could be disastrous; even deadly. 

But it was probably a good thing that the anesthesia was still working in her system or she would have definitely bled out very fast. 

Skylar carefully sat herself up in the bed and looked down at her body. She wasn’t wearing much of anything besides a pair of black shorts and a stained green tank top. The shorts were cut off at her upper thigh and from there, she could see the wound where the arrow went through her leg stitched up beautifully. And the bite on her shoulder was also cleaned and stitched to perfection. Yes, the scars will be ugly, but just add them on to the pile, right? 

As Skylar was tracing her fingers across her arrow wound, the door opened back up and there was Abby, looking even more exhausted than Lev. Her hands were shaking, her eyes were bloodshot, and her skin was a sickly pale… What happened to her?

“Abby-” Before Skylar could utter anything else, Abby ran over to the bed and wrapped her arms around the younger woman, tears tracking her cheeks and sobs shaking her whole body. Skylar tried not to flinch in pain as she lifted up her hand and gently rubbed at the woman’s back in comfort. 

“I thought you weren’t gonna wake up… I’m so happy you’re okay,” Abby pulled away from the hug just enough to press a soft kiss against the redhead’s cheek who immediately hummed happily at the sign of affection. 

Abby held her girlfriend for almost five minutes straight before the hug finally broke and she sat herself down against the edge of the bed, looking over the wound on her thigh and the bite on her shoulder. About a week ago, Abby would have seemed horrified at the sight alone. Granted, she still had trouble taking this, but if she was uncomfortable, Abby didn’t show it.

“Did.. You stitch me up?” Skylar motioned to her leg and Abby nodded.

“And Jake. My dad was a great surgeon and… I remembered a lot from what he taught me.” 

“What happened to Jake?” 

A look of sadness crossed Abby’s features as she felt her hands shaking all over again. Skylar watched Abby carefully to see just what was going on inside the woman’s head, but it was so hard to get a clear reading on her. 

“Deja’s dead. I um… I threw your knife at her head,” Skylar may have felt remorse once for that woman but in the moment, she was glad the bitch was gone. “When she fell, her sword sliced open Jake’s neck… It wasn’t very deep and I did what I could but without the proper tools I needed, there was a lot that I just… His voice box was damaged, Skylar. Jake can’t speak.” 

Skylar’s breath hitched up in her throat and she let out a soft whimper in mental anguish as she laid back down on the bed and tears rolled down her face as she stared up at the ceiling. It was awful, feeling so helpless and so weak against everything that happened. It was all her fault anyway… If it wasn’t for Skylar, they never would have been in that situation.

“Skylar… I know you’ve been through a lot… But when you can… we have to talk.” 

Those words could instill fear into any significant other. Was Abby planning on leaving her? Was she disgusted with who she used to be? Was this about her immunity? What did she want to talk about?

“Jake gave me the recording of your parents when they died. I know why you kept your immunity a secret, and I understand now that maybe… a cure wouldn’t fix much of anything, even if it was possible. The human race is too far apart, too divided by fear and hatred that nothing could save this world now.” 

Skylar let out a soft sigh as she listened to Abby who seemed content with what she was saying. Almost like Abby hadn’t figured out how Skylar felt until very recently. It’s possible that if Abby knew she was immune about a month ago, Abby would have done almost anything to figure out why Skylar was immune and may even have been willing to sacrifice her life for it. 

“But that isn’t the main thing I wanna talk about--”

“It’s about Deja, isn’t it?” Skylar’s voice was scratchy and weak and Abby looked up from her own hands as Skylar tried her best to sit up and try to give Abby the explanation she was so desperate to finally find out. 

“Sky… I didn’t have a choice. She was gonna kill us all, I couldn’t just give you to her, she--”

“She deserved it.” Skylar said it without hesitation and looked away from Abby, watching as the curtains ruffled in the soft breeze of the beach waves and slightly chilled air. Her fingers flexed a little and she slowly reached out for Abby’s hand while still not looking at her in the eyes. 

Abby didn’t want her to talk, it sounded like she was hurting. But Skylar felt like she needed to clear the air in order for the two of them to be able to heal from all of this. 

“When I first got here, Maleko found me by the piers at the hotel. He took me in and treated me like part of his family. When he introduced me to Deja, she seemed like an outcast among all of the Guardians… but back then, they weren’t called the  _ He Kia’i _ … They were called  _ Nā Kiaʻi.  _ ‘The Watch.’” 

“I was always attracted to people who didn’t exactly fit the ideal description for what others wanted… And when she was always alone, I admired it and spent a lot more time with her… We ended up being a couple for over two years and right near the end is when I told her I was immune-” 

The words were like sour notes on her tongue, making her mouth go slightly dry and her eyes start watering like she wasn’t supposed to be talking about this at all or ever. Skylar closed her eyes and took a very deep breath and Abby gently squeezed her hand in encouragement. 

“Everything changed after that. She told me how her mom was bit when she was a kid and she was forced to listen to Maleko… do as her mother begged him to do. I felt awful. But after I lost my parents, I wanted nothing to do with my immunity. So I started picking up riskier assignments, acting more reckless, basically flirting with death. But someone always saved me… And when I was bitten in front of an entire squad and Deja saved me from being gunned down, half of the complex started telling Maleko that the doctors needed to see me, to study me and figure out what to do and how to fix me… He said no. Deja was… Pissed and tried taking the rules into her own hands… But Jake told Maleko and she was forced into solitary for two days.”

“In that time, Maleko couldn’t keep people from coming after me and told me I wasn’t safe there anymore. He told me to run and hide from everybody, especially Deja who was blaming me for the solitary confinement. She hated me. So when I ran into her and her squad a year later when I was wrapped up in the barbed wire fence… She took torture to a whole new level…” 

Skylar paused for a second and her fingers went up to run over the scar on her lip that traveled up her face and over her cheek. Abby felt enraged, sad, and protective all at once and wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in a hug and hold her for hours until she felt better. But Skylar kept talking. It sounded softer, weaker…

“Infected attacked the group. Almost all of them were bitten except Deja who took almost all of them down. I don’t know how I got down from there but I did. And I was going to kill her. I planned to put a bullet in her skull and watch her bleed out with the rest of the runners and her team. But I spared her. I shot her in the shoulder and went home. Stitched myself up and spent three months healing. And Deja’s been after me ever since, I guess. Maleko was keeping her under control… But when he died, she must have taken over. And lured us all into a trap. She knew it was getting colder, and that I would have to go hunting. She trapped us and almost killed us all! All because I was too fucking selfish to die for the world!” 

Abby flinched as Skylar started shouting, tears tracking her cheeks as Abby felt her nails bite down into the palm of her hand. It hurt to raise her voice, but speaking quiet was not an option for Skylar at the moment. She rubbed at her sore throat and let out an uncomfortable growl at the weakness in her neck. 

The way the redhead shook with anger, and unresolved fear, Abby gently moved her spare hand up the woman’s arm and stroked over her calloused wrist. It was all she could do in that moment to comfort her. 

Abby’s eyes slowly moved from Skylar’s clenched jaw and down over her neck. Her tank top dipped down just enough to show a slight amount of cleavage and the swell of her bust. But it wasn’t what Abby was looking at; she was more focused on that scar that she rarely ever got to see. Her eyes fell a little before moving back up and settling on the stitched up bite mark on her shoulder near her neck. 

Any other person would be twitching and shaking as the cordyceps grew in their brain and drove them insane within 48 hours. But Skylar was completely normal… It was like unlike anything she’s ever known, or will ever know again. That day, that one day that she lost everything because of some smuggler- It’s haunted Abby for years. Plagued her dreams, caused her nightmares, destroyed her very soul. 

But when she met Lev, things changed. Abby found her purpose again, and wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world. But then, she lost Owen. The one guy that she was in love with for so long, who gave it all up because Abby was too consumed by revenge and hatred. And as soon as Owen was gone, all Abby wanted was to go back home, to the Fireflies. To whatever she used to call family and home. 

But it was all for nothing. The Fireflies were gone and dead. And Abby felt lost all over again. 

And out of darkness, Abby found a light. Skylar: the charismatic, beautiful, smart, loving redhead that gave her life again. Her heart raced whenever she saw her, her palms felt sweaty when she remembered the way Skylar would hold her every night as they slept. Her own lips quivered as she thought of the farm girl’s sweet and gentle kiss. 

Skylar was Abby’s new light, her new warmth in cold, her set path down the long and endless road… The end of her suffering. 

“I’m sorry, Abby… I’m sorry you got mixed up in my life- my problems, my immunity. I never expected you to stay here for as long as you did. I never expected for us to be together, I never-”

“I love you, Skylar.” 

Her voice stalled after Abby said something she’s never heard in her entire life. Never before had someone told Skylar that they loved them, beyond her family. Skylar felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up at Abby who was also crying, tears staining her face and her hands shaking as they reached down and held her hands. 

“I thought you were going to die… When I heard you in that room, being tortured… And then when you passed out, I was horrified that you weren’t going to make it. It was when I was stitching you up that I realized that I loved you, Sky. And I’m never giving you up. Not for any cure in the world.” 

It didn't matter how much pain Skylar was in, nor did it matter how much she felt unworthy of this kind of love; she jumped forward and wrapped her arms around the woman's neck and immediately pressed her lips against Abby's, pouring her heart and soul into a kiss that would burn in Abby's memory for years to come. Her heart soared as she held the redhead close to her and tears stained both of their faces as Abby held Skylar like she was made of fragile glass that could shatter at any moment.

It was that kind of moment that Skylar has dreamed about… All but the almost dying part, of course. Being held in Abby’s arms, being kissed like she was the only person in the world, being caressed in such a soft and gentle way; just for a moment, Skylar forgot what kind of a world this was and only focused on the things that made her happy. And they were all in this home with her. 

When the kiss was broken, Skylar breathed hot and heavy against Abby’s lips, her fingers tangled up in the older woman’s hair as she felt her eyes flutter a little and slowly pressed her forehead on Abby’s. “I love you, too.” 

The rest of the day, Abby did her best to try and take care of Skylar’s chores all while trying to show her just how much she cared. Skylar was moving around as slowly as she could throughout her own home while seeing Abby and Lev working over her farm in two of her tank tops. Skylar could see both of their shoulders were wrapped up, in the exact same spot. 

Bullet wounds… It made Skylar feel awful whenever she saw it so instead of looking out the window and watching Abby squat down in her vegetable garden all day, though she was very happy to stare at her, Skylar chose to see Jake… 

What she wasn’t expecting was to see someone who she almost considered to be her brother laying on her guest bed with bandages around his neck and his skin looking almost gray. He was so pale… The fact that he was alive was a miracle. 

Abby told her that they had both been asleep for almost a whole week, so there’s a high chance Jake wouldn’t wake up today. But Skylar didn’t want to leave his side… He looked so alone. 

Her heart almost snapped when she saw him twitch and Skylar frowned before slowly crawling onto the bed and laying down next to him, letting out a little sigh as she gently moved his bangs and laid her head down.

“I’m sorry we lost everything, Jake… But I promise I’ll protect you… I won’t let you get hurt anymore…” 

When Abby came back inside, she saw that Skylar had fallen back asleep and was protectively curled up around the teenager and was softly snoring. She couldn’t find it in her heart to move either of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally said it. They told each other how they feel! It's so cute that it's almost nauseating. Also. guys, you can come at me telling me I don't know how science/the medical world works. I'll tell you right now, I do not care. I'm here to give Abby the happy ending she deserves. Not ruthlessly research how anesthesia works in all the different ways. So, love you guys. But no.


End file.
